Kamen Rider Blade: The Sacred Stones
by Fenikkusumaru
Summary: Three teenagers went over to a Kamen Rider Convention to enjoy the day, but when they come upon a mysterious door at the convention, when they stepped in, they're going to be in for the adventure of a lifetime. OC x Eirika
1. Prologue: Fall of Renais, Rise of Blade

Hey guys! How it's going? It's Fenikkusumaru. Since Blade of Zero is taking forever to update, I'll go with this one. This is one crossover I definitely wanted to try. It's a Kamen Rider Blade x Fire Emblem: Sacred Stones crossover. Hopefully, you guys would like it. Also, The Wild Fang and I will be working on this story together, and it will be on my home page. And he's allowed to use his OC characters, Storm and Amber. So let's get going!

Disclaimer: I do not own Kamen Rider Blade. All rights are reserved to Shotaro Ishinomori. I also do not own Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones. All rights are reserved to Nintendo and Intelligent Systems Co., Ltd. Also, Storm Ryder and Amber Lockhart are owned by The Wild Fang.

* * *

Prologue: The Fall of Renais and the Rise of Blade

"Blay Buckle, check. Blay Rouzer, check. Rouze Absorber, check. King Rouzer, check. All 13 Undead spade cards check. Alrighty then, I'm good to go."

Today was a special day. After spending half the year saving up money, I'm able to go a Kamen Rider convention to show all my Kamen Rider Blade merchandise to my friends.

Oh, forgot to tell ya who I am first. I'm Kurogasa; just your average Tokusatsu fan of Kamen Rider Blade, in the great city of Tokyo, Japan. Anyways, I'm 18 years old, and I have brown hair in a style that one would think I was Kira Yamato from Gundam Seed, and blue eyes. I'm wearing a blue shirt with a gold symbol of a Spade suit with a gold Caucasus beetle in the Spade suit and on the beetle, a small red Spade suit symbol. I also wear light–blue denim jeans, black shoes, and a navy blue jacket with the BOARD logo on the front left side of it.

As I said, I'm a Tokusatsu fan of Kamen Rider Blade. I know that show like the back of my hand. I even got all the Kamen Rider Blade merchandise. Well… not _all_ of the Kamen Rider Blade merchandise, I only got the DX Blay Buckle, Blay Rouzer, Rouze Absorber, and King Rouzer toys. I didn't even bother to get the Kamen Rider Garren, Chalice, and Leangle toys, and I only got all the Spade suit cards, not bothering to get the Diamond, Heart, and Club suit cards. I ain't complaining though. To me, my collection is complete. I'm happy.

Just when I was about to enjoy the moment, a knock was heard on my door and before I turned the door knob, a blur immediately tackled me and puts me in a headlock.

"Hey, buddy! Are you ready for the convention today?! Man, I'm just pumped up for winning Best Costume of the Year this year!"

This is Storm, by best friend since childhood. He had short, spiky, black hair and brown eyes and he was going to be cosplaying as Kabuto… and I thought that he was only kidding. Other than the details of it, the only thing that was missing was only his Kabuto helmet.

"Dang Storm, calm down…" I said to him. Then again, the only time he'll calm down is if his girlfriend Amber gives him an egg burger. "Amber, are you there? Did you give him his egg burger yet?" I called out.

"Ah mou~! Storm, don't _do_ that to him!" Amber said as she came in my room. She had long black hair reaching down to the hips of her petite body and has innocent looking brown eyes. "You know what happened the _last_ time you've applied it to him?" She asked as she had in her hand, Storm's kryptonite. It was an egg burger and he immediately goes to her, grabbed it, and ate quietly on my bed. "Sorry about that, Kurogasa… just a few more seconds and you might have ended up being choked to death… well, nearly…" Amber said with a polite bow. Her attire was from Pink Magiranger, and she looked pretty good in it. These two are my good friends, even though I knew Storm a lot more than Amber due to his usual antics.

"By the way, did you prepare your ride to get there? I know _I've_ been working on my _own_ Kabuto Extender and I'll be _sure_ to win!" Storm added after taking another bite on his egg burger.

"How's your ride coming along?" Amber asked me.

"Going great. The Blue Spader is all good to go." I said giving a thumbs–up.

"Good, because my bike can't carry three people," Storm said before he finished his egg burger and jumped off of my bed. "Well, what are we _waiting_ for? Christmas?"

"I can't wait to see Ayaka sing at the convention! I heard that she'll be there this year!" Amber said excited. She was ecstatic to know that her favorite singer is going to be there.

"Of course, she _is _married to the actor who played Souji Tendou in Kamen Rider Kabuto, after all." I said.

"C'mon! C'mon! The show is about to start in half an hour and we don't want to miss the grand ceremony!" Storm urged panicking, before he zoomed out of my room while patting his side belt for the 'Clock Up' mode… which he currently is.

"Last one there has to pay for lunch! And I'm confident his superbike is going to beat _yours_, Kurogasa!" Amber challenged. From time to time, she tends to bet on it. An old saying used to say, 'you win some, you lose some' and this time, the score was tied.

* * *

And so we went on our way to the Tokyo International Forum where the convention was going to take place and it didn't take us long to get there. I arrived first and Storm and Amber arrived a few seconds later. I took off my helmet and grinned smugly, saying, "You're paying for lunch, Storm."

"Geez, you lost!" Amber pouted before the both of them took off their helmets.

"Well, a bet is a bet… and you can't win them all…" Storm shrugged and seconds later, we were swarmed by some people who are cosplaying as various animes and they were interested over our rides. Storm wore his Kabuto helmet, mounted off from his bike, and does the most iconic pose in Kamen Rider history with the quote, "Tendou michi o iki, subete tsukasadoru otoko!"

In the meantime, we're getting many snapshots from different angles from those otakus that were joining in. "Well, we might as well put our ride in display. Who knows? We might win a category or two… and the prize money isn't that bad, from what _I _heard." Amber said. Yeah, the cash prize they prepared for the winners was enough to get back some of the money we used for our bikes and getting my Blade stuff. I still remembered that this is her first time in such a convention since Storm and I went to a few together before she came into our lives.

So we enjoyed the day in the convention and it was really fun. We went to all _kinds_ of booths getting a few odd and ends from them and then we went to see Ayaka performing live. Amber more or less practically screamed in joy being a fan of her and such and after that, she got an autographed CD case from her. And as a bonus, we got to meet Hiro Mizushima _himself_, the actor who portrayed Souji Tendou from Kamen Rider Kabuto which Storm got ecstatic over.

"So, are you having fun?" Storm asked Amber as we walked around the convention center.

"Of _course_ I am." Amber grinned kissing her boyfriend.

"Yeah, this year's convention was a _lot_ better than last year." I commented. As we continued walking, something caught my eye. I looked to my left and saw a door opened. For some reason, I felt some sort of… odd presence coming from it.

Storm turned around, while looking at me. "Hey, buddy! Something wrong?"

I snapped out from my daze before returning to reality. "Huh? Oh, yeah, I'm fine."

"Really? For a moment there, you look like you've seen a ghost or something…"

"I'm fine, really. So, don't worry about it!" I assured him before he shrugged. But for some reason, that door didn't attract anyone, as if they didn't notice it at all, not even my friends. To make things stranger… the door… was actually _calling_ for me…

Around that time, the judges declared the winner for the Best Bike category and Storm and I were happy about it. Because it turns out… _both_ of our rides won and they were tied for first place. I guess I can say that both of the series were really famous and what's more, we're getting the prize money… in cash! So yeah, things are pretty much happening in the convention and we spent the rest of our day there. Storm used _his_ part of the money to buy Amber a Kamen Rider suit… Larc. It was made for a girl and she fits really well in it. She was also carrying the briefcase which contained all of the remaining cards from what I _already_ have, including the Lance and Larc buckles.

"I think we had enough fun here. Let's get some grub before heading back!" I told them, which Storm and Amber agreed to.

We took our bikes and tried to go out to the main door, but there were so many people trying to go out. "Man, at _this_ rate, we won't even get our _bikes_ out!" Storm complained. I have to agree and admit that this year's convention was a bit crowded. Then I remembered that door I saw.

"Hey, _I_ know a way out. I saw a door earlier that leads straight to outside of this place." I suggested.

"Well, it's a lot better than getting through the crowd, I guess." Amber added before they started to follow me from behind. Honestly, that door really bugs me for some reason… so the three of us went towards the door and… I could've sworn I heard something.

_'Help us…'_

"Guys, did you hear that?" I asked as I stopped walking making them to stop as well.

"Yeah… sounds like my stomach is hungry…" Storm commented before getting a pinch on the arm from Amber.

"No, silly! He meant someone was asking for help." Amber explained as she looked at me. "Is there someone in trouble?"

"Maybe…" I said.

_'Help us…'_

"There it is again!" I noticed.

"Wow, I'm not hearing things this time!" Storm finally realized. Geez, it took him _that_ long to get the gist of it?

"Maybe there's someone who's trying to do some bad things on a girl! We better help her now!" Amber said urgently as the three of us dragged our bikes towards the door. We opened the door wider and saw that there was a long and narrow dark hallway. It was narrow and small for our bikes to go in, so we unfortunately had to leave them behind. Bringing all our other stuff with us, we ran in the dark hallway until seeing a light at the end. When we got to it though, what came next was something we _never_ expected at all. A portal suddenly opened up and sucked all three of us in!

"H–Hey! What's happening?!" Amber panicked.

"You didn't tell me that door would do something like _this_!" Storm argued.

"How was _I_ supposed to know?!" I shouted. "C'mon hold hands! Quick!" I urged. We tried with all our might trying to reach each other and grab each other's' hand, which fortunately we did. We continued to spin and swirl as we were going through this portal, and then…

Blackness…

* * *

"Kurogasa… Kurogasa… wake up."

I began to stir and slowly came to. There, looking at me were Storm and Amber trying to wake up and… it was night time in the middle of a forest?! "Hey, buddy. Are you okay? Did you break any bones on yourself?" Storm asked while Amber let out a sigh of relief.

"Thank goodness you're alright. I thought we were _done_ for…" She said while I sat up from the ground. Storm lent me his hand so he could pull me up and let me stand on my own feet.

"Where the heck _are_ we?" Storm asked.

"No clue. One thing I _do_ know… was that door lead us somewhere in the middle of the forest…" Amber pointed out.

"Yeah and… Storm, Amber look at your clothes!" I noticed. Even though it was night time, the full moon shined bright tonight, so we're able to see. Storm and Amber were wearing medieval clothes. On Storm, the Kabuto armor he wore was no longer there, not even his _usual_ clothing. Instead, he had red leather armor with a silver shirt, black pants, with brown boots and gloves. On his back, he had a lance equipped on him. Amber was a bit different too. She has the same brown leather armor, but had less padding and she was wearing a pink blouse with a dark blue skirt. She also wore long black boots and an elbow pad, with fingerless gloves. At her back, she had a bow with her. As for me, well, _my_ clothes were something else too. I had silver armor over my blue shirt, white pants with, silver knee pads, silver boots and a cape on my back. What's even _weirder_ is that I had my Blay Rouzer dangling around at my side and Blay Buckle equipped on my waist too.

"What's with these clothes?! It like we're in the middle of the medieval times and… since when did _any_ of us can talk in English fluently?!" Storm said surprised. Truth to be told, he wasn't good with the subject, but still… to think that I'm hearing him say something in that tone… wow.

"Something tells me we're not in 21st century anymore…" Amber shivered while staying close to Storm.

"Yeah, no kidding. But until we know where we are, we better set up camp." I suggested.

"I guess so…" Storm agreed and the three of us set out to do our part of the job. I set up the campfire, and Amber and Storm got the food and drink, which they did voluntarily. After a while, the campfire was made and Amber was able to get ourselves a rabbit for dinner, which is enough for the three of us to eat.

"Man, I didn't know you could use a bow like that, Amber!" He praised while taking a sip from his drink. I even noticed, he also brought along the cups from the bag he was carrying. Even _he_ didn't know about it.

"I _didn't_… that was my first time using a bow and arrow. Heck, I don't take archery classes at _all_ but for no reason, my sense of accuracy and the way of using this bow was heightened as if… I've been doing this multiple times…" Amber explained as she took a bite of rabbit meat.

"That _is_ weird." I said. "Still, being transported from the convention to this forest makes this even weirder." I then took the Blay Rouzer which… was real? No _wonder_ it felt heavy. "Whoa, I didn't even notice, but the Blay Rouzer is real guys!"

"Really?!" Storm and Amber asked surprised.

"I'm not kidding. Take a look." I said as I handed the Blay Rouzer for them to take.

"You're right. It _is_ real." Amber realized as she felt its weight.

"And the blade itself is metal and life–sized too." Storm added.

This is even _crazier_. I mean a while ago it was a DX plastic toy, and like all Kamen Rider swords, they're short and stubby, but now it's life–sized and real. I wonder… I took out the Change Ace Beetle card from my pocket and looked at it too. "And call me crazy, but my Change Ace Beetle card is show accurate and not in Japanese text for some reason." I said. Storm was confused as Amber lifted up her briefcase but for some reason, it was a bit heavier than usual. She opened up her briefcase and found out the Lance and Larc belts were _also_ real.

"And so are these buckles!" Amber added after tapping it a few times.

"Just what's going _on_ around here? And where the heck _are_ we anyways?" Storm asked again. Before any of us could answer, we heard a scream coming from the nearby forest.

"Wait, did you guys hear that?" Amber asked.

"_I_ did. C'mon let's go!" I urged.

* * *

_"Where do you think _you're_ going, you Renais dogs? There's no place for you to hide!" An enemy Fighter asked as two people were surrounded both at the front and back._

_"We're outnumbered…" A young knight in his 20's with red hair in bluish–silver armor said to himself as he and a beautiful young girl who was 18 with long, flowing, deep sky blue hair and eyes had their backs at the wall, or in this case, backs to the trees as the enemy Fighters had satisfied smirks on their faces. The knight kept gripping on his shoulder, which was deeply wounded._

_"Seth, are you okay?!" The girl asked._

_"I'm alright, Princess Eirika. But I don't think we could take them all at once…" Seth replied back._

_"Now, be a good knight and little girl and let us chop your heads off!" A Fighter demanded._

* * *

Meanwhile, we heard and saw the whole thing while hiding in the bushes and we saw the enemies surrounded them. "Kurogasa, they're in trouble!" Amber whispered while Storm kept quiet, as he didn't want to let them knew about our location.

"I know. We're helping them out. We'll take those thugs by surprise and then you two take those hostages to safety." I said. "I'll take care of them."

"Whoa, hold your horses! You can't just jump in there and go straight for the kill!" Storm shouted which clearly attracted the attention of those axe men and got himself a whack on the head, courtesy of Amber.

"You idiot! Why did you have to shout?!" Amber said angrily.

Well, so much for the surprise attack…

"Who goes there?! Show yourself before we cut their heads off!" One of the axeman threatened while aiming their axes at the trapped hostages. I sighed at before we eventually walked out from the bushes. "Oh, what do we have here? Some random hunters witnessing the whole thing?"

"Whoever you are, stay back! You're outnumbered!" The knight shouted at us before being hit in the face with the flat side of the axe.

"Seth!" The young girl shouted going to his side.

Man, we gotta do _something_. But what can we do? Hold on, the Blay Rouzer is real, the Lance and Larc buckles are real, and the Change Ace card is show accurate. If they're real, then the Blay Buckle _should _be real too. There's only one way to find out. "Don't worry, we got this covered." I assured the girl as I took the Change Ace card out of my pocket. If my hunch is right, then it _should_ work.

"Whoa, what are you doing?" Storm asked. I ignored him as I slipped the Change Ace card into the buckle and it suddenly came to life when I heard the pulsing sound coming from it. So far, so good. I then did the various movements Kenzaki Kazuma did. "Henshin!" As soon as I said that, I pulled the lever to reveal the red rectangle with the gold suit of Spade.

**TURN UP**

To my surprise and delight, a blue rectangle of energy with the symbol of the Change Ace Beetle came out of the Blay Buckle surprising everyone watching. Storm, Amber, and I couldn't see the symbol, but the axe men and the girl can. The blue energy rectangle pulled back towards me and I entered the energy rectangle as if going through a portal. As I soon as I crossed over; the armor was donned on me and it really surprised everyone.

I knew the suit by heart. It was a pure blue bodysuit. Along with the Blay Buckle at my waist, the torso armor was silver with a spade in the center and the shoulder pads were flat with gold decoration on the arms and spades on the top. It has a gold band around the wrists and crisscrossed strips of metal on the boots. My helmet was blue with a silver face and a single horn rising up, emulating a rhino beetle. I could see through the large round eye holes, and everything was tinted red. When the transformation was complete, for some reason my vision cleared so that I don't see red tint anywhere and I saw, practically everyone gaping at my new look.

I had become Kamen Rider Blade!

"W–What kind of sorcery _is_ this?!" The leader asked surprised by the transformation.

"I don't know, boss! He must be some kind of demon of some sort!" An axeman spoke up.

"Whoa, Kurogasa… I didn't know your belt can _do_ that!" Storm gawked.

"At first, I didn't think that it would work but as soon as I pulled the lever on the belt, well… you get the idea…" I replied. At that point, I heard a 'ding' out loud from his direction.

"Say, Amber, let's try out those buckles we purchased earlier!" Storm told her, which she nodded and puts down the briefcase. Opening it up, he gave one of them to Amber. Both of them did the exact thing I did earlier and to _their_ surprise, their waists were _also_ wrapped by a deck of cards, leaving a pulsing sound on their buckles. Storm was in his stance by crossing his arms as Amber placed her hands at the sides of her buckle.

"Henshin!" Both of them said as they opened up their buckle.

**OPEN UP**

A red and green rectangle appeared with the symbol of the Prototype Change Kerberos, surprising them. The rectangles went towards their direction, and soon they were also donned in their armor too.

Both of them are in a black bodysuit, donned with black armor with spiky shoulder pads, an 'A' insignia on their chest armor, and black greaves and boots. On their helmet, both have a long visor that stretched upwards on their black helmet. The only difference between the two was Amber had a red 'A' and a green diamond on her helmet, while Storm had a green 'A' with a gold diamond on his helmet.

Storm and Amber have changed into Kamen Rider Larc and Lance.

"Wow! I didn't know _we_ could do it too!" Amber, or should I say Larc said, surprised to see her new armor.

"As much as I wanted to be Kabuto, on the upside, I also like Blade, especially the movie one since they can use as many cards as they want!" Storm or Lance said normally, as both of them drew out their weapons, or in this case after looking at closer inspection, the Lance and Larc Rouzers, leaving the axe men in bigger shock.

"D–D–Demons! They _are_ demons!" They began to shout as the girl kept the knight, named Seth as we heard, close to her. "Men, arm yourselves!"

"Demons?" The girl asked herself.

"Attack!" The leader yelled.

"Let's counter them back with our full house!" Amber shouted as the three of us, went against the twenty of them. Storm and I took the front line as Amber shot them from afar with her Larc Rouzer. All of us traded weapons with one another and to my surprise, my body felt light and somehow I could calculate their movements in a matter of seconds. Even the girl was surprised to see the three of us, in weird armor from _her_ point of view, taking down many of these bastards with the swing of our own. Larc instinctively took out three cards from her side deck and roused it on her Rouzer, announcing the cards that were scanned out.

**BULLET**

**RAPID**

**FIRE**

After a while, three holograms of the Bullet Armadillo, Rapid Pecker, and Fire Fly projected to the sky before being absorbed into her armor, declaring the move at the same time.

**BURNING SHOT**

"Take this!" Larc shouted while pulling the trigger onto some of the axe men, knocking and burning them down in the process.

Meanwhile, Lance was having a bit of trouble. True, his Lance Rouzer was faster than their axe, but due to the strength of their axes, he was having a hard time trying to penetrate his lance through their axes. Annoyed, he took out his own two cards from his deck and roused it on his Rouzer, leaving them confused.

**SCREW**

**BLIZZARD**

Holograms of the Screw Mole and Blizzard Polar appeared in the sky, scaring them before it was absorbed into his armor.

**BLIZZARD GALE**

"Hope you guys love to chill!" Lance announced as he tried again, and this time it worked as the lance managed to break through the tough durability of the axe, creating a hole on it and pierced through their heart, while freezing them, before leaving them dead. "So, who's next?" He challenged before he and they started to fight again.

Meanwhile, the boss and his five remaining bastards surrounded me with their axes in hand. "Demon, prepare to be slain by our hands!" The boss axeman shouted angrily at me, which didn't faze me one bit. While they glared at me, I flipped my Blay Rouzer upside down and opened up the fan to reveal my own set of cards. I chose one of them and roused it on my Blay Rouzer to declare it.

**METAL**

The hologram of the Metal Trilobite entered my body and when one of them wanted to cleave me in half with his axe, my whole body turned into metal, causing his axe to not only shatter in pieces, but also make him feel the pain from the effect of metal meeting metal. My whole body reverted back to normal before giving him a stab to the chest, killing him instantly. Seeing one of their comrades down for the count, the four of them dashed forward towards my direction. With another card in hand, I roused it on my Rouzer to activate it again.

**MACH**

The Mach Jaguar was absorbed into me, and the whole world around me went in slow motion. I got into a stance and released a barrage of cuts all over the four knuckleheads before finishing it off with a stab on their stomachs. I walked right in front of the boss and when time was up the four knuckleheads slumped to the ground, with a fountain of blood in display. As for the boss, when he noticed I was right in front of him, he suddenly jumped back in surprise to see me before calming himself down.

"Y–You're a demon _after_ all!" he yelled at me.

"Yeah… in _your_ eyes!" I told him before I flipped my Blay Rouzer one more time. I noticed how many AP points I had left on my Rouzer, and it was enough for me to do the one thing that I know most: Blade's signature move. I took out two cards from the fan, and I roused them, making it announce the cards that I used.

**KICK**

**THUNDER**

The holograms of the Kick Locust and Thunder Deer appeared in the sky before it was absorbed into my body. While doing so, I made the gesture on how Blade received the power by slowly raising my Blay Rouzer upwards.

**LIGHTNING BLAST**

Crackles of lightning were heard from my right foot as I jumped up for the boss to see. I soon I was up in the air, I came back down, doing a Rider Kick to the boss making his whole body be covered in electricity before he was sent flying back hitting a tree, and slumping down dead. I slowly looked at the sky and the boot soon lost its spark. "Well, _that's_ the trump card of the day…" I muttered to myself before focusing on the girl who held Seth in her arms, frightened.

"W–Who are you?" The girl stuttered, trying to put on a brave face.

"It's okay. I'm not here to hurt you." I assured her as I pulled the lever to reveal the card. Normally the Buckle would keep on saying Turn Up no matter what, whether you flip it to reveal the Spade or the card, but this time it didn't when I revealed the card. When I took the card out, the same blue rectangle appeared in front of me and I went through it, going back to civilian form.

"Yeah, we took out these guys for you…" Storm added as both him and Amber reverted back to normal too. Amber went to her side, despite that she was still afraid of us.

"Is he okay?" Amber asked.

"Seth has a grave wound from his previous attack from the enemies while trying to get me to a safe place." The girl explained before she shifted her attention to us. "And might I ask who you traveling warriors are?"

Amber and Storm looked at me with confusion. "What?" I asked.

"Should we tell her the truth?" Storm asked me.

"What makes you say _that_?"

"Well, Blade is _technically_ the main character of the series, and since we don't have Tachibana around here to guide us… you're our leader!" Storm teased with his knowledge on Blade. Don't get me wrong, both of us share the same interest on Kamen Riders, but he and I have our own favorite Riders that we admire the most.

"I guess…" I shrugged. "First, let's get back to our camp site, and treat his injury. Then we'll exchange stories after."

They nodded in agreement as Storm managed to carry him on his back while we led the way back to our temporary hideout. It's a good thing that we were really close to their location. Otherwise, they would've gotten themselves killed by those guys for who _knows_ what.

* * *

After we reached there, Storm opened up his backpack and took off Seth's armor one piece at a time to treat the wound he had. Amber and I were introducing ourselves to the Princess of this Kingdom, Renais, Princess Eirika, much to our surprise. As shocking as it was, we shared our knowledge of the current situation we and they were in. It turns out that Storm, Amber, and I ended up in a country called Renais on the continent of Magvel and that the enemy country, Grado was attacking them. After a closer look on her, she had long, flowing, deep sky blue hair and eyes wearing gold armor with a cape over her red dress and white skirt. She also wore long red boots and a pair of red leather gloves, a golden loop around her waist, a bracelet on her wrist, golden earrings, and a rapier in its sheath around her waist as her main weapon. I have to say, she's cute.

Amber nodded in agreement. "You said that your father wanted you to head to Frelia for your safety? And that you're twin brother Ephraim is missing?"

"That is correct…" Eirika admitted. "And… you're saying you're from another world?" Eirika asked us.

"Yes. I know it sounds really farfetched and ridiculous, but uh…" I chuckled sheepishly rubbing the back of my head. Amber looked at me and for some reason I don't know… she was smiling at me. And no, it's not one of her usual smiles; I can tell it's a mischievous one…

Storm then walked towards our direction with his bag that he kept carrying around. "Princess, your knight's going to be alright with these Vulneraries I have, which I have no idea how I got… or even _used_ in the first place…" He said as he joined us at the campfire while Seth rested comfortably near the fire.

"Ah, I thank you for helping us, even treating his wounds…" Eirika said to Storm before turning back to me and Amber. "I know that this might be a burden to ask, but is it okay for you strangers to lend us a hand? At least, until we've reached Frelia? I have a feeling Grado's men will continue to search for us and I must search for my brother too."

"Uh… give us a moment." I said as I motioned Amber and Storm to come over to another part of the camp, so Eirika won't hear our private conversation. "I say we help her out." I whispered.

"Are you _kidding_?! We're in the middle of a freakin' war zone!" Storm hissed softly.

"I _know_ that, Storm! We also want to go back to our world, but… we can't just leave her and Seth on their own!" I hissed back.

"Ah! Kurogasa… could it be…?" Amber spoke, gaining my attention.

"What?"

She came close to my ear and whispered something not even her _boyfriend_ could hear. "…you _like_ her, don't you?" Amber slightly giggled.

"Eh?!" I gawked at her, while blushing. "D–Don't be ridiculous! I–I'm just trying to help out." I stuttered.

"What? What, what, what? What's going on?" Storm asked me, which Amber could only reply, by placing her finger on her lips.

"It's a secret, Storm." Amber said before heading towards Eirika back with our response.

"Hey, buddy! What did she _say_ to you? And why's your face red?"

"I don't want to talk about it." I grumbled.

"Eh?" Storm said confused before we went back to the girls and Eirika looked happy about what Amber told her.

"I thank you for this. With this, we can reach Frelia posthaste." Eirika smiled.

"It's nothing much. That's what friends are for, Princess Eirika!" Amber replied.

"Please, you may call me Eirika." The Princess said.

"I think we're gonna get along just fine." Amber said while looking at me with her mischievous smile.

I glared at her a bit before turning my attention to Princess Eirika. "Well, in any case, we better get some sleep. Amber, you're on watch duty."

"Eh?! Why _me_?!" Amber demanded.

"Yeah Kurogasa, why Amber? Usually, you and I would always be fighting on who's going to do things but why Amber?" Storm asked.

Because she teased me about liking Eirika… is what I _would've_ said. What came out of my mouth was, "Well, you _did_ say that I'm the leader, right?" I smiled smugly.

"Mou~! Fine! But you'll be next after I guard for a couple of hours, Kurogasa!" Amber said childishly before she stood up from the fire and walked at the corner to keep guard.

"Then… would it be alright if I do the same?" Eirika asked me.

"Are you sure?" I asked.

"I do not mind if you allowed me to, since Seth is still unconscious…" Eirika offered.

"To be honest, we don't want you to. You and Seth were being attacked by those bandits earlier and things might get hairy if we put you on guard… you're might draw some unwanted attention." Storm said; which made sense.

"So, does that mean I must rest as well?" Eirika asked.

"Well, Storm _does_ have a point. So let's not take any chances. Don't worry, we'll protect you. You've seen us beat those bandits right?" I asked.

"Yes… I _have_ seen it…" Eirika slowly nodded. "Very well; I think some sleep would suffice…"

As she rested her head and get some sleep, Storm and I had a little chat. "Storm, for as long as I've known you, the only time you're intelligent is when it comes to Kamen Riders and spend most of your time as an airhead, but… how come you've gotten this good?" I asked him. Storm could only rub the back of his head.

"To be honest… I don't know, buddy. And did you notice the way we fought earlier? We were like a different person when wearing that armor. Both of us knew we haven't got proper training in martial arts, but now we feel like we know how to fight, based on our instincts… don't you feel weird about that?" Storm asked.

"Yeah, I felt weird alright. But whatever the case, until we find a way home, let's just stick with Eirika for now." I said. Storm nodded in agreement before he walked towards Amber. She's probably bored about it and… she went back to _my_ side?

"Well, I guess I'm lucky this time… Storm said that he would take over for me since I need to rest." Amber smiled as she was getting ready to sleep. "Oh, and remember, Kurogasa. She might be asleep right now, but I know for sure that you like her. It's all because of women's intuition." She winked before getting some rest. I could only glare at her a bit before getting some rest myself. I'll deal with it in the morning.

* * *

Alright, and there's the first chapter of Kamen Rider Blade: The Sacred Stones. Well, technically it's the Prologue, but… you know what I mean. Anyways, hope you enjoyed this chapter. And hopefully, I can update this often. So get to it people, don't just stand there. Review!


	2. Chapter 1: Escape!

Hey everyone, it's Fenikkusumaru again. Wow, nobody reviewed. That's… kinda sad. Well, I guess that's expected because this kind of crossover has never happened before. But I _do _see some followers of this story, so I can guess I can deal with that. So, on to next chapter that Wild Fang and I made!

Disclaimer: Same thing.

* * *

Chapter 1: Escape!

It was the next morning and I was in charge of guarding Eirika and Seth, who's still unconscious while Storm and Amber went hunting for our breakfast. Thankfully, there weren't any more encounters with the enemy last night after we rescued Eirika and Seth. "How is he, Eirika?" I asked the princess.

"He's doing fine, all thanks to Storm's treatment." Eirika replied back with a smile while looking at me. "And again, I thank you for saving us from Grado's men. If it weren't for you all with your… 'demonic' powers, I wouldn't be here…" She added.

"It's no problem." I assured her. "Still, I wouldn't call our powers outright demonic." I chuckled sheepishly. "Back in my world, we use these powers to _help_ people."

"Really?" Eirika asked curiously and with interest. "Please do tell me more of what your world is like, Kurogasa…" I guess while those two are still out there, I can kill some time with a tale of my own.

"Well, if you want to know how our powers came to be, then sure I don't mind." I shrugged. "Let's see… where to begin…" I muttered before I took a deep breath and told the story. "10,000 years ago, a massive battle known as the Battle Royale was fought by fifty–two creatures known as the Undead. They were created by God in the form of a stone slab called the Stone of Sealing, to "kill" each other, with the winner granted a wish to alter the world. Each Undead represented a species of animals and battled so they can wish for the species they represent to rule the Earth. The losers would be sealed by the Stone itself. Eventually a winner was decided and the winner was the Human Undead, known as Category Two of Hearts, giving dominion of the Earth to humanity."

"Really?" Eirika asked amazed.

"Yes. Until that is… 10,000 years later. An archeologist found the Stone of Sealing and accidently released the Undead, thus starting another Battle Royale and they wreaked havoc among the people."

"Oh my…" Eirika gasped. "What happened?"

"Well, luckily an organization was created to stop the Undead from terrorizing the people. They were called B.O.A.R.D. It's an acronym for Board of Archeological Research and Development. They developed this." I said taking off the belt to show it to her. "The Blay Buckle. Using this card…" I said showing the Change Beetle Ace of Spade card. "I can use this to become Kamen Rider Blade."

"Kamen… Rider Blade?" Eirika asked confused.

"That in itself is another long story, which I'll tell you some other time. But getting back to the subject, using this card, I am able to inherit traits from the Beetle Undead. Did you notice how my armor looked like that of a beetle?"

"Yes. I _did_ notice." Eirika recalled.

"Well, it's all thanks to this card. As I said I can inherit its traits and also inherit its strengths too. The Rouze cards also have _other_ powers." I uncovered the fan of cards on my Blay Rouzer and showed a couple of them. Like my five and six of Spades. "This card, the Kick Locust, or the Locust Undead can enhance the strength of my kicks and the Thunder Deer, or Deer Undead gives me the element of lightning when I attack."

"Amazing." Eirika said in awe.

"There are other Undead with different abilities too. I'll show you those later when we have time."

"Okay. Going back to your story, were all the Undead managed to be sealed?" Eirika asked.

"Eventually…" I said. "It took a while, but eventually they were all sealed so another Battle Royale won't ever happen again."

At that point, I heard a groan from nearby as Eirika turned around and saw Seth waking up from his slumber. "Seth! You're awake!" Eirika cried out as she went over to him.

"Princess…?" Seth asked, still in a daze before he sat up and noticed his armor not on him anymore. "What happened? How did we get here? What happened when I was unconscious?" He asked.

"This warrior and his two friends Storm and Amber saved us last night. If it weren't for them, we wouldn't be breathing now." Eirika said gesturing to me.

"My name's Kurogasa. It's nice to meet you." I introduced.

"Ah, you must be one of the traveling warriors that helped and protected the Princess last night. I am Seth, General of the Knights of Renais. I thank you for protecting Her Highness, despite the odds that you were up against that time…" Seth thanked bowing.

"It's no problem." I waved off.

"Someone's awake…" A voice said from afar. Seth, Eirika, and I turned around to see Storm and Amber walking towards us… with a small wild boar on Storm's back.

"I guess that Vulnerary did the trick and healed your injury." Amber added.

"Yes, it did. Thank you." Seth replied.

"Well, now that you're up, let's skin this boar, cook it, and dig in. I'm already hungry as it is." Storm grinned goofily.

"Honestly, when it comes to food, there's nothing that can stop you, especially when it comes to your egg burgers." Amber sighed.

"He knows, Amber… even though there isn't any egg burgers lying around here, he has to accept the fact and just deal with it…" I said to her.

"Egg… burger?" Eirika said confused.

"It's a long story…" I told her.

While the boar was being cooked by Storm and Eirika, they told Seth the tale of how we defeated those thugs. Then from out of nowhere, Amber dragged me to the same spot that we had our little private conversation from the Princess. "So, Kurogasa, what did you and Eirika talk about while we were hunting? Did you two have a good chat?" Amber teased.

"We're talking about this _again_?" I groaned. "It's not like that. We just _met_ for crying out loud."

Amber giggled at that. "Come on, just spill it out already. I know that look on your face just by a glance."

"Just how long are you going to tease me, Amber?" I asked.

"Hm… I dunno…" Amber shrugged.

Most likely until I fess up about it. "Whatever… let's just get back and eat. I'm hungry."

"Well, the longer you keep it to yourself, the harder it'll be for you to overcome it! Remember that!" Amber told me before both of us headed back to Eirika, Seth, and Storm, seeing that breakfast was done and right on time for us to dig in.

While we were eating, Eirika look at me with a confused look. "Kurogasa, why is your face gloomy?"

"Oh, don't worry about him. He's _always_ like that!" Amber teased while I waved it off like it was nothing.

"We did some scouting earlier while we were hunting and the path is clear for us to go to Eirika's destination…" Storm informed.

"That good news to us…" Seth added.

"Any place we have to stop by first before heading to Castle Frelia? Like some sort of checkpoint?" I asked.

"Well, we _did_ notice a stable near the area, where they sell those horses for us to ride. Other than that, it's just a plain empty field…" Amber answered.

"Well, I'm not so sure about the cash money we have right now…" Storm said before he took out the said money from his pocket… which was not in paper money anymore… but as a bag of gold coins! "Whoa! Did that freaky portal somehow convert the money we had into gold pieces?!" Storm said surprised as Amber started counting how many gold coin there were.

"With these gold coins alone, it's enough to buy two horses for us to ride all the way to Frelia." Amber stated.

"With my horse being killed by those Grado soldiers last night, I think two horses would suffice as it will save our time and cover more range…" Seth added.

"True. But then again, there're five of us. And if we get two horses, only four people could fit, two to a horse. Which means one of us will have to walk on foot." I said. They looked at each other then back at me. "What?"

"Sorry, Kurogasa! But unless you used _your_ gold coins to get yourself a horse, you're gonna have to walk on foot!" Amber concluded. What?! She's making me walk?!

"She's right, buddy. Seth has to protect the princess and I have to protect Amber… sorry about this…" Storm nervously grinned while sweat dropping on his head. Great… even my _friends_ are against me…

"I don't mind walking, and I'll walk with you Kurogasa, if that's alright." Eirika told me.

"Eh?!" I said caught off guard at what she said.

"What is it? Was it something I said?" Eirika asked tilting her head. Man, that look just screams adorable! Wait, what am I saying?! Get your head straight, Kurogasa!

"U–Uh… um…" I stuttered as Seth puts back his armor on.

"In any case, we should get there posthaste for Her Highness' sake. Mind leading the path for now, Storm?" Seth asked him, which he agreed to immediately. As Seth, Eirika and Storm walked forward, Amber elbowed me to the side with her mischievous grin once again.

"Chance~! You get to walk side by side with a cute princess! You should thank me for this!" Amber giggled. I could only glare at Amber before I started walking to catch up with them. I really didn't need this in the morning.

* * *

_In Mulan, the enemy approached towards another castle that wasn't expecting them. Feared of being overwhelmed, one of the guards rushed towards the princess in the chamber room. "Princess Tana! Grado's forces are approaching!" he said to a girl who had long midnight blue hair and blue eyes, wearing a red dress with white shoulder pads, long white socks with gold linings, with white shoes and white gloves. She wielded a white lance._

_"What? So soon? Ah, we've had no time!" Tana replied worried._

_"Milady, we lack the arms to defend this place. You _must_ return to Castle Frelia!" The guard suggested._

_"I _can't_! Not yet! We haven't found Eirika and her companions yet. Eirika is my friend, and she needs my help. I _won't_ abandon her!" She stated before she got an idea. "Oh, I know! Go and ask Father– I mean King Hayden for more troops."_

_"Yes, Your Highness!" He immediately obeyed before he dashed off to another direction, leaving the princess alone._

_"Eirika, please be safe…"_

* * *

_Outside of the castle, the commander looked at the castle from afar as one of the soldiers approached him with a salute. "Commander Breguet, the enemy appears to be fortifying its position in the castle." The soldier said to the commander in charge who is in his 40's, having black hair with a moustache, wearing cinnamon full armor with dark black shirt and pants as he was displeased with the current condition._

_"Hmph. They're tenacious, but they have no hope of stopping our advance." Breguet calculated._

_"What are your orders, sir?"_

_"Ha! Orders? You just stand here and watch. I'll crush them myself!" The commander declared as he made his way towards the castle with an iron lance and shield._

_"As you command, sir."_

_Breguet made his way towards his target. When he reached towards his destination, a soldier was there to protect the front gate. The two faced off and the soldier made the first move by swinging his sword at him. The commander saw this as he immediately blocked it with his shield and returned the blow with his lance. The soldier barely managed to dodge it as the commander thrust his lance forward, giving him the deadly blow that killed the man, leaving the castle defenseless. "Ha! That's what happens when you face my lance!" Breguet declared as he made his way towards the castle. Tana saw him entering the castle. Wielding her lance in hand, she tried to stop him with her own strength._

_"St–Stop right there! Call off your forces and turn back, or you'll have _me_ to deal with!" She threatened, only to have Breguet chuckle in amusement at her empty threat._

_"Is that so? And who might _you_ be?" Breguet asked._

_"Who–? I am Tana, Princess of Frelia. I will not permit you to abuse my country any longer!" She declared._

_"Frelia's royal brat, huh? How convenient…" Breguet muttered._

_"Leave this castle immediately! If you harm me, my father and brother will chase you to the earth's end!" Tana threatened again, but Breguet wasn't fazed about it._

_"Yes, I've heard how King Hayden dotes on his precious little daughter. Let's see how true that is. You'll make us a fine hostage, my dear." He added before a swarm of his army entered the castle. "Seize the girl and lock her up!"_

_"Right away, sir!" One of his men answered as he and another soldier grabbed hold of her arms, dragging her away._

_"No! Let me go!" Tana protested as she struggled from the soldier's grasp, but it was all in vain as she was dragged back to a prison cell._

* * *

As we made our way towards our destination, with Seth on his new horse, Storm and Amber on another, and Eirika and I walking, the princess looked down for some reason. "Something wrong, Eirika?" I asked concerned.

"It's nothing, Kurogasa…" Eirika said.

"You don't look fine to _me_, Eirika." Amber pointed out.

Eirika was surprised by her sudden reply, before she looked down again. "This war… it's not like the games that I used to play with my brother or Lyon…"

"Lyon?" Storm, Amber, and I asked in unison.

"Lyon is the Imperial Prince of Grado. He is also Prince Ephraim and Princess Eirika's best friend since childhood. Whenever His Highness was busy with his duties, the three of them spend their time together at the courtyard…" Seth explained.

"I never thought– I didn't know that war would be this… savage." Eirika pointed out as we remained silent. "Are words useless? Is strength all that matters? It's so sad… why would the Grado Empire do this? To what end would they start a war?" She questioned.

"Princess…" Seth said worriedly.

"I… don't have an answer for you there." I managed to say. "But until we know the answer, the best thing we can do for now is do what we can."

Eirika looked at me for a while before her expression changed, her face now having a determined look. "Yes, you are right. And don't worry; everyone. I won't give in to sorrow. Thank you for your support, Kurogasa." Eirika smiled.

"No problem." I said. I turned to Amber and Storm who snickering at me for some reason. "What are _you_ guys laughing at?"

"Honestly, I have no idea _why_ I'm laughing…" Storm pointed out. Oh yeah, he can be clueless at random times too… better keep it in check.

"It's nothing. It's quite rare of you to give advice to someone we barely know, _especially_ towards a girl." Amber added.

"Come to think of it, this is the first time I've seen you work out over something like this…" Storm pointed out.

"What do you mean by _that_?" Seth asked.

"I think I got a pretty good idea what my boyfriend just said…" Amber said happily, while I knew what's in her mind…

"Amberrrrrr?" I growled. Amber kept on smiling that mischievous smile, while Eirika looked at us in confusion. I don't blame Eirika for that, since the three of us were always at it and Amber's usually the one who pulls the trigger first. After a while, we continued our journey towards Border Mulan, according to Seth. But we didn't expect what was going to happen next… Seth slowed his horse prompting us to stop too.

"What's wrong, Seth?" Storm asked.

"Quickly, follow me!" Seth warned us before going to a nearby fort for us to hide in. We still had no idea why, but for now, we followed him. Once we reached the abandoned fort, he went towards the top of the fort with the rest of us following.

"Hey, what's with the _rush_ all of a sudden?" I asked.

"Grado's men… they're here…" Seth grimaced before we saw the said army in front of the castle and they were _everywhere_.

"That's not a lot of people." Storm mused. "Six soldiers, six axe men, and one knight."

"That's because you counted the ones on the outside. We didn't count the ones on the _inside_ of the castle…" I told him.

"Not to mention the ones who're _around_ the castle too…" Amber pointed out as Eirika looked at the place, worried.

"Princess, this place is perilous, even with just us five. We could bypass Mulan altogether and head straight to the castle." Seth told her.

"But, we can't just _ignore_ this…" Eirika said shaking her head. "_You_ were _there_ when Renais was invaded… you _saw_ what _I_ saw. You saw how the people suffered at the hands of Grado's soldiers. Homes were destroyed, possessions were stolen, women kidnapped… anyone who resisted was executed without question, without hesitation." Eirika said sadly as tears formed in her eyes. Seth was silent because he knew what the princess said was true.

"Those guys _really_ mean business…" Amber pointed out.

"If that's the case, then we're doing this." I said.

"Huh?" Everyone else asked.

"_You_ heard me. We're retaking the castle."

"I agree with Kurogasa. I can't allow what happened here like what happened in Renais. I don't want to see more people hurt by Grado's atrocities." Eirika pleaded.

"_I'm_ not gonna stand around here and do nothing about it." Amber said siding with Eirika.

"Yeah, after listening to her story, we need to teach these guys to know their place." Storm added.

Seth was surprised by the sudden determination from the three of us and Eirika. In the end, he let out a sigh in defeat. "All right, Princess. I understand. Perhaps we _can_ retake Mulan. But, Princess, you _must_ act with caution. Your people need you too."

"Of course, Seth!" Eirika said overjoyed. "As long as the five of us sticks together, we can achieve the goal that is needed."

"You got _that_ right!" Amber chirped.

"So then what are we _waiting_ for?" Storm grinned cockily. "Let's _do_ this!"

"He's right… what are your orders, Your Highness?" Seth asked.

"It is simple. We must seize the castle once again!" Eirika told him as Amber, Storm and I took out the Change Ace cards in our pocket and slid it onto our buckles, leaving a pulsing sound on our belts, leaving Seth confused. We then got into our poses to trigger the transformation.

"Henshin!" We shouted in unison and I pulled the lever while Storm and Amber pushed theirs open.

**TURN/OPEN UP**

Three hologram rectangles shot out from our belts and the three of us entered in, donning us in our armor on the other side of the hologram, becoming Kamen Rider Blade, Lance, and Larc. "W–What _is_ this?" Seth asked surprised.

"Oh, this? It's our trump card!" Lance told him.

"Trump card?" Seth further asked.

"We'll explain later. Let's go." I said.

They all nodded in agreement before we left the abandoned fort and headed towards the war zone with our weapons in hand. While we headed towards our target, one of the enemy soldiers noticed our presence and shouted out loud, "The enemies are coming!" before getting shot to his chest by Larc's arrow, leaving a hole on his armor. With that said, as I expected earlier, more soldiers and axe men dashed out from around the castle and headed towards our direction.

"I guess those guys are here to 'greet' us, buddy!" Lance told me.

"Should we accept their generous offer?" Seth asked with his sword at the ready and Eirika drawing out her rapier.

"Let's." I said as I fanned out the cards from my Blay Rouzer and swiped a card.

**SLASH**

After the declaration, the hologram of Slash Lizard was seen floating in the air, before entering my Blay Rouzer, enchanting its slash capabilities. This should be good enough to chop even the _hardest_ armor they got.

"Man, are they in for a surprise!" Lance said happily while he roused a card to.

**FLOAT**

With that, the hologram of Float Dragonfly appeared behind him before it entered his armor, gaining the ability to fly for a limited time.

"I can take out the ones on the castle towers, those guys are protecting. You guys can go ahead, I'll catch up!" Larc told us as she roused one card on her Larc Rouzer.

**SCOPE**

The hologram of Scope Bat appeared behind her before it entered her armor. With her sense of accuracy heightened, she took aim from her Rouzer and shot a few times, hitting her target from afar.

"What was _that_?" Seth asked surprised.

"That is how they saved us from Grado's men killing us. Come, we must not waste any more time!" Eirika said as the whole army closing in on us.

* * *

_Meanwhile… while the battle went, two figures were heading their way towards the battle and they've noticed that it's already begun. "Sir Gilliam, is that Mulan? Have we reached Frelia's border already?" Franz asked a man in his late 30's, with brownish black spiky hair, bushy eyebrows, and short beard, wearing dark blue–green armor with gold highlights on it, wielding his lance. Sir Gilliam took note about it._

_"Aye, we _have_. Her Highness Princess Tana should be inside the castle."_

_"But look! The countryside is _crawling_ with Grado soldiers!" Franz pointed out. "Where's the castle guard? Has Mulan fallen? Are we too late?"_

_"Too tough to say from here. Princess Tana's in no danger if they want her as a bargaining tool. We, men of the Eastern Watch will see her to safety." Gilliam assured him._

_"Yes… yes, of course. We mustn't give up. We must move! We must retake the castle. Then, we ride forth to Princess Eirika's aid." Franz said confident._

_"Lad, I have stronger armor than you do. I'll take the lead. Watch my back." Gilliam commanded as both of them advanced to the war zone. At first, the two of them took down some of the enemies nearby with their lances. They managed to pierce through them as the battle raged on. While they managed to get through the offense, one random soldier managed to slash onto Gilliam's exposed stomach, before he retaliated by stabbing his head._

_"Sir Gilliam! You're injured! Please, use this Vulnerary to heal your wound!" Franz said a little frantic as he immediately gave it to the knight. Gilliam took a sip from the bottle before he noticed the wound on his stomach is nothing more than a tear on his clothes._

_"Thanks, lad."_

_"Please, sir… when I was a raw recruit, General Seth taught me something. He said every soldier can serve a role, even the most inexperienced." Franz recalled._

_"Well said, lad. Looks like you've learned something from that man…" Gilliam praised him before Franz noticed something from afar. _

_"Wait…"_

_"What is it?" Gilliam asked._

_"That knight… is that General Seth? And his companion… must be Lady Eirika!" He said before the two headed towards the battle to aid their companions… until Franz noticed something else, "But who are the ones helping them in such ridiculous armor? I've never seen _such_ a thing…"_

_"Even so, they're helping them. The enemy of _our_ enemy is our ally, lad." Gilliam told him._

* * *

Lance was still floating in the sky after taking out a few soldiers, but their numbers aren't gonna be decreasing anytime soon. "If these guys are still up for it, I might as well use this combo." He said before he took out three cards, one of them being the Float Dragonfly card he used earlier. Getting his weapon into a position for the rouse, he barely dodged one of the few lances and axes that were aiming for him.

**FLOAT**

**DRILL**

**TORNADO**

Three holograms consisting of the Float Dragonfly, Drill Shell, and Tornado Hawk appeared right behind him, surprising the soldiers before the three holograms entered his armor.

**SPINNING DANCE**

"Let's take this for a spin! …And hope for the best I don't hurl…" Storm muttered to himself on that last part before he started spinning his body around, dashing towards, and slashing them out. Seth continued to slash more enemies out of the way to protect Larc, while Eirika and I went on the offensive, going all out. Eirika's rapier stabbed and pierced through any exposed body parts she could find while dodging the swings of their axes and lances.

"Take this!" I yelled as I scanned another card.

**TACKLE**

With the card roused out, the hologram of the Tackle Boar appeared behind me, entering my body as I rushed towards them and gave them a strong tackle, enough to force them back before leaping next to Eirika. "Your swordplay is pretty good." I praised.

"Thank you. My brother has taught me something of swordplay. With this, I can fight them off as well." Eirika said before I noticed a soldier aiming at her back with his lance, which she didn't notice at all.

"Eirika! Watch out!" I yelled.

"Huh?" Eirika said, surprised by my sudden shout and I _knew_ that she would be too late to react in time. Instinct took over as I pushed her to the side, taking the blow on my left shoulder leaving me to grunt in pain. "Kurogasa!" Eirika cried out, shocked to see me stabbed by the lance. Luckily for me it didn't pierce through my flesh due to my armor. I countered back with a slash of my own by cutting the guy's throat, killing him instantly.

"Blade!" Lance shouted as he tried to get to me, only to be stopped by another group of axe men.

"Kurogasa, are you alright?!" Eirika asked frantically as she looked at the damage I received earlier. I took out the lance from my shoulder and gripped onto it as blood oozed out from the wound. "Your wound…"

"It's okay… I'm alright." I told her before I shook the pain off from my shoulder and realized their number hadn't decreased…

"Kurogasa, what should we do?" Eirika asked. At that point, I heard a neigh from afar, which caught everyone's attention. The sound of the galloping horse got louder and louder by the moment and before we knew it, two knights charged through the group while taking down some of them, heading towards our direction.

"Looks like we've managed to arrive here in time." The man in dark blue–green armor said to himself.

"Y–Yes, sir! And it was _just_ in a _nick_ of time too!" The man in yellow–green armor replied back. Seth come to us and had a surprised look on his face. And so did Eirika.

"Is that you, Franz?!" Seth said surprised. "I'm relieved to see you're still in one piece!"

"Y–Yes… and you as _well_, General. As long as you lead us, sir, the Knights of Renais _cannot_ lose!" Franz exclaimed.

"Who _are_ these guys?" I asked Seth.

"Kurogasa, this is Franz, a new cavalier of Renais. And the person next to him is Sir Gilliam, a Knight of Frelia." Seth introduced them.

"I've seen how you protected the Princess along our way here, lad." Gilliam said to me. "And that is one, strange armor you've equipped on yourself…" He added suspiciously.

"I'll explain later, but for now, let's focus on the enemy." I said.

"I'll keep that in mind…" Gilliam said before he swung his spear onto a nearby enemy.

"Princess Eirika, it is good to see you're well!" Franz said relieved.

"Franz, you made it through unscathed…" she said relieved too.

"Y–Yes, Your Highness! I met up with Sir Gilliam of Frelia and explained the situation in Renais. He told me that Princess Tana was in danger as well, here in Mulan!" Franz told her, shocking Eirika. "We rode as swiftly as we could."

"Tana is _here_?! In that _castle_?" Eirika said shocked before she turned to look at me. "Kurogasa, my friend is in there! We must go and save her!"

"You two go ahead with this horse!" I heard Larc, making her way here as she mounted off from the horse. "I think five of us should be enough to take out the rest of them. Besides, we still have our trump card in our Decks." she added.

Without hesitation, Eirika immediately mounted on the horse and lent me a hand. "Come, we must go posthaste!"

"Enjoy your time together…" Larc whispered to me with a slight giggle before she took aim with her Larc Rouzer onto the enemy behind Lance. I growled at her in annoyance, before I mounted on the horse and Eirika _urged_ the horse to go on towards the castle. Once we've reached the front gate of the castle, a knight who is guarding the front gate was there, as if he was expecting us to come here in the first place.

"Hm? Is that the Princess of Renais?" The knight asked before his view confirmed it. "Ha–ha! It really _is_ my lucky day! Fame and fortune ride to meet me! Move on, you slugs! Bring that girl to me!" He commanded. With that being said, four more soldiers came out from the gate, which surprised him for some reason. "What's _this_? I thought there are many more of you slugs in here!" He shouted angrily.

"I'm sorry to inform you this, sir, but apparently, most of our soldiers that were guarding on top were killed by a strange phenomenon as they had a hole on their bodies…" The guard informed, which I knew exactly what he meant by that.

"Commander of Grado's men, I command you to surrender yourself before you get hurt!" Eirika tried to persuade, only to have him laugh out loud.

"You and what army, girl? Even that man in the strange armor doesn't faze me. Get her, men!" He commanded, as the four soldiers aimed their lances and charged at us.

"No you don't!" I said as I rushed to meet the enemy soldiers. I started by dodging on one side from the enemy's attack to parrying another one of their thrusts aimed at me. As another one aimed his lance to find an opening while the other one faced Eirika in a duel, I kicked one of the soldiers off the bridge and he fell into the water below. Taking this chance, I sidestepped from another soldier's attack, letting his weapon pierce through his partner that was trying to push me to the front. As his partner weakened due to his loss of blood and the other one wanting to take out his lance back, I immediately slashed his hand before giving him another slash on his chest, cutting through his armor and leaving a deep wound on his chest before pushing them both off the bridge.

Meanwhile, Eirika kept her defense up as the remaining soldier tried to thrust her with their lance. When he thrust forward _too_ far, she took the chance by stabbing him at the gut, surprising him in the process before pushing him off the bridge. I was amazed to see her swordplay in a gentle manner. "Kurogasa, behind you!" Eirika shouted. By the time I snapped back to reality, I was slashed on my back, leaving sparks on my armor. When I turned around, I was kicked to the chest, causing me to tumble back as Eirika rushed to my side.

"Bah, what a worthless lot of curs I've been assigned! I might as well take your lives for my fame and fortune!" The knight said before he twirled his lance around and stabbed it on the wooden bridge. "I am Breguet, the commander of this brigade that will take your life out! Just be proud the two of you would fall under my hands!" He said before he picked up his lance.

"We won't fall here!" I shouted as I charged at him.

"Gimme your best shot, lad!" Breguet challenged as I immediately gave him a horizontal slash with my Blay Rouzer, which he parried with his lance's handle. He countered back with a push before trying to do a diagonal slash on me, which luckily, I managed to parry back with a defense of my own. Both of us attacked and defended one after another as Eirika stood there, looking at me worriedly. I can tell this guy knew how to fight by the way he handles his lance. Out of the blue, my foot was tripped and I was suddenly on my back. Before I knew it, Breguet aimed his lance at my chest with a smug grin on his face.

"Any last words before I take your life away?" Breguet asked.

"Yeah, watch your surroundings next time…" I told him, leaving Breguet confused. A shot was heard from afar and he noticed the tip of his lance was shot away, surprising him. Seeing the chance, Eirika immediately used her rapier to stab and slash his hands, making him shout in pain. In anger, he hits her with a back hand attack, making her hit the ground unconscious with his bloody print on her face as his hands were shaking in pain.

"Eirika!" I cried out as I got up and away from Breguet and ran over and knelt down to her to check on her. She was knocked unconscious. My blood began to boil as I stood up and glared at Breguet.

"My hands!" Breguet shouted. Eirika must've cut one of his main veins. He was frantic as he tried to grab one of the fallen soldier's lances on the ground but was having a hard time of doing so. Eventually, he was able to hold a lance, but not properly. "That woman will pay for what she did to my hands!" He claimed with anger.

"And you'll pay for hurting her!" I yelled taking out three cards and roused them.

**KICK**

**THUNDER**

**MACH**

Three holograms appeared behind me that consisted of the Kick Locust, Thunder Deer, and Mach Jaguar, leaving him surprised from what Breguet was seeing. "W–What kind of sorcery _is_ that?!" Breguet said surprised as the three holograms were absorbed into my armor, declaring the move that I will perform next.

**LIGHTNING SONIC**

Crackles of lightning collected on my kicking foot and the world started to slow down due to Mach Jaguar's effect. I stabbed my Rouzer onto the ground before leaping high to the sky in the subsonic speed, delivering my stronger version of the kick on his chest and he didn't react in time to protect himself. The kick was so strong, it sent him flying towards the back of the gate, crushing and denting his armor easily while being jolted by my lightning. When time resumed back to normal, his whole body was in shock from the quick attack. "This… This can't be… I…" Breguet got out. He couldn't finish his words because he coughed out blood from his mouth and Breguet slowly fell forward to the ground, with the back of his armor having the gate pattern on his back. Not a voice or movement was heard or seen on him.

I pulled the lever back and reverted back to normal, before running immediately to Eirika's fallen form, kneeling down to and holding her. "Eirika! Eirika!"

Eirika winced in pain from the attack before she slowly opened her eyes while holding her cheek in pain. "Kurogasa? What happened?" She asked.

"Phew! Thanks goodness you're alright." I sighed in relief. At that point, Amber and Storm out of their Rider forms along Seth, Franz, and Gilliam met up with me.

"Princess, are you alright?!" Seth asked worried as he saw a bloody print on her face.

"I am alright. Kurogasa has defeated the commander in charge." Eirika assured him, letting Seth sigh in relief.

"That's quite the damage you've dealt to him…" Franz analyzed, seeing the corpse of Breguet who had his skin burnt and his armor dented as Gilliam made his way towards the castle.

"One thing we _do_ know for sure, the seizing of the castle was a success!" Storm cheered happily.

"C'mon! We have to save Eirika's friend!" Amber said as the rest of them entered inside the castle.

Eirika had a worried look on her face. "Kurogasa, your wound is deep…" She said concerned and before I could tell her, she took two handkerchiefs from her small pouch, using one to wipe off the bloody print off her face and the other to cover my wound from bleeding further. Seeing her up close, I had a slight blush while she was mending it. "You've saved me twice today… taking the stab from the enemy and taking the commander head on with your powers. I couldn't thank you enough…" She slightly smiled.

"It's the least I can do." I said.

After she secured my wound, she took a step back and looked at me with a smile. "Come, we must save my friend. She might still be held captive by Grado's men." I nodded in agreement as both of us entered the castle and started searching around. When we reached to a certain part of the building, I saw three of Grado's men who were keeping guard of the door, killed and Gilliam opened the door.

"Princess Tana!" Gilliam shouted her name as we saw that she was unharmed. Upon closer inspection, Tana looked to be about Eirika's age, having long midnight blue hair and blue eyes tied up in a ponytail, wearing a red dress with white shoulder pads, long white socks with gold linings, with white shoes and white gloves.

"Sir Gilliam… I'm sorry. I never meant to cause you such trouble." Tana apologized.

"It was no trouble. I live to serve, Princess." He added before Eirika approached Tana with a hug.

"Tana!"

"Eirika?! You're _here_?!" Tana said surprised before the two of them broke off from the hug.

"Tana, what are you doing so far from Castle Frelia?" Eirika asked.

"I heard that Renais had fallen, and I was so worried… but I'm glad to see that you're safe…" Tana sighed with relief before she remembered something, "Wait! Where is Ephraim? Is he well?"

"I wish I knew." Eirika sighed.

"You haven't heard from him? Oh, I hope he's not been harmed… come, we must go to Castle Frelia. My lord father may know something." She told her before she noticed the three of us Riders. Tana immediately went over to me, before she circled around me, looking interested while eyeing on me. "Ooooooh, and who's _this_ handsome young man? Why didn't you introduce me yet, Eirika?"

Eirika looked surprised for a bit before she cleared her throat. "His name is Kurogasa. He and his companions, Storm and Amber are the ones that saved me and Seth during our escape."

"Ooooooh, and what a unique name too, along with being good looking! How lucky of you!" Tana smiled, making me blush.

"T–Tana!" Eirika cried out with a slight blush for as the former waved it off.

"I am Princess Tana of Frelia, and Eirika's best friend. It's nice to meet you all." She introduced herself.

"The pleasure is ours." Storm replied back.

"Tell me, which kingdom are you from?" Tana asked me curiously.

"Uh… that's a long story." I managed to get out. "Why don't we discuss that at Castle Frelia? We're going to be debriefed there anyways." I suggested.

"Aw~, you're no fun!" Tana pouted before she remembered something. "Oh, that's right! Since the enemy has been cleared and the castle is safe, I suggest we should head to my father's castle in Frelia."

"Yes, I agree with you, Your Highness. _His_ Highness might feel worried for you." Gilliam suggested.

* * *

So with that, Tana had to find her horse that was at a stable somewhere in the castle. And to Storm, Amber, and _my_ surprise, her horse was actually a Pegasus! A _Pegasus_ of all things! But anyways, she rides on her Pegasus and scouted for more enemy troops that could come our way. Thankfully, there weren't any more.

By the time night fell, we arrived at Castle Frelia. The servants took the horses and we were immediately taken to the Throne Room for an immediate audience with Tana's father, the King of Frelia, Hayden. "Oh, Tana… I'm grateful to see that you're safe and home again!" an old man said while he hugged his daughter happily. "You've _no_ idea how I worried when I heard you were under attack at Border Mulan. You are not to leave again without my permission. Do you understand?"

"Don't be mad, Father. Look, I come bearing good news. Eirika! Come out now!" Tana called out to her friend as Eirika stepped forward, surprising the king.

"King Hayden, I am pleased to see you again, even in these sad times." Eirika said to him.

"Ah, Eirika! It does my heart good to see you safe!" Hayden said happily tone as she nodded.

"Thank you. I was able to escape the castle before Renais, with the help of these three traveling warriors." Eirika said as she pointed at us.

"Yes, if it wasn't for the three of them, Her Highness might've been killed when they saw the chance of me injured badly…" Seth added, which the king nodded in agreement.

"I thank you for helping her in these rough times, strangers." King Hayden thanked us.

"It's no problem, Your Highness." I said bowing. "I'm just glad we were able to help. That being said, my name is Kurogasa. And these are my friends Storm and his lover Amber." I said gesturing to my friends.

"Nice meeting ya!" Storm said happily, as he shook the king's hand, which surprised the whole room before Amber dragged him by pulling his ear.

"Storm, you can't just do something like that!" Amber hissed, as the King just laughed a bit.

"Quite a lively lad, he is." Hayden commented.

"King Hayden, what is the report of my father?" Eirika asked. At that point, Hayden's expression changed in an instant. That doesn't look too good… "Your Highness? Please tell me. Is my father well?"

"…my friend King Fado… did not survive the fall of the Renais castle…" Hayden said solemnly. Eirika gasped in horror as she puts her hands over her mouth and trembled after hearing the news.

"…no, it cannot be…" Eirika sobbed as tears started to form on her eyes. The next thing that happened was that she buried her face on me, much to my surprise at first, before I slowly wrapped my arms around her to comfort her.

"I'm sorry for your loss, Eirika…" Amber said sadly instead of teasing me like how she does it all the time.

"Yeah, I understand how it feels to lose a family member." Storm added.

Seth could only stand in silence after receiving the sad news before turning back to the King of Frelia. "King Hayden, do you have any news of Prince Ephraim?" Seth asked.

"Yes, we hear the prince and his men hound Grado at every turn. It's said that he's led his forces into the empire itself. Reports suggest he's crossed the border and now fights in Renvall." Hayden explained to them.

"Her brother is still fighting?" I asked while Eirika managed to calm down.

"Yes. My Pegasus knights bought this information at a great price. Even though Renais has fallen, he charges into the enemy's heart. He is _truly_ Fado's son… what a valiant youth. I wish that I knew whether he remains unharmed, but I do not." He said while he shifted his focus to Eirika. "Rest assured, Grado will be punished for its cowardly act. This is Frelia's promise. Eirika, please stay here and rest. I cannot imagine how exhausted you must be."

"King Hayden, I thank you for your offer, but I cannot stay. I intend to ride to my brother's side with reinforcements." She said to the King kindly denying his offer.

"But, Her Highness…" Franz tried persuading her.

"No matter what kind of excuses you want me to do, I will stand firm with my decision. It is because I have the three of them, and they will help me find my brother." Eirika said as she stayed close to my side, while I heard Amber slightly giggle.

"I cannot allow it." Hayden replied. "I know how you feel, but this plan is suicide. I would be betraying your father's memory if any harm were to fall to you. I could not bear it. Rest and mourn. Leave this war to the warriors."

"Your Majesty…" Eirika began. "I know you mean well. However, I have lost my father and my twin brother is in peril. My brother, he is a _part_ of me… I cannot rest here in peace while he risks his life."

"But Renais has no more army." Hayden added. "Grado's forces decimated it. We cannot provide support or soldiers. My son, Innes, is on his way to meet the empire's forces. We cannot spare a single brigade. Your own retinue of knights cannot possibly face Grado alone. Are you still determined to go?"

"Yes." She replied without any hesitation. "…with apologies."

"…as resolute as your father, eh? What am I to do in the face of such foolhardy determination?" Hayden sighed before he called out a name. "Vanessa."

"Here, Your Highness!" A woman with long green hair, tied in a thin braided ponytail, wearing white light armor with brown dress underneath it, with white long boots and gloves and lance on her back with a string that attached at the end of it, walked in and bows politely to her king.

"Moulder." The king spoke again as he called forth a priest in his 30's, wearing a brown robe with a white cloth on his left shoulder, wrapped with a few strands of cloth to wrap around his waist and a yellow headband on his forehead.

"You called, my king?" the priest asked.

"Gilliam." The king said summoning his knight.

"Yes, sire?"

"You are to accompany Princess Eirika of Renais into Grado territory. I expect each of you to provide aid and support for her brother." Hayden commanded them.

"Hmm. Quite a grave responsibility you've given us…" Moulder pondered.

"No matter the obstacles, we will perform our duty." Vanessa said firmly.

"Our lives are yours." Gilliam said confidently.

"These are some of my most trusted and stalwart vassals. They will, no doubt, prove themselves quite valuable on your journey. Remember, you are venturing behind enemy lines. You will need supplies. Therefore, I will have a supply convoy readied to carry your weapons and provisions. It will remain at your side, no matter how far afield you venture." Hayden said to Eirika, as she was touched by his kindness.

"King Hayden, I… thank you." Eirika thanked him.

"No, save your thanks for your return… with your brother, Prince Ephraim." The king reminded her.

"Yes, Your Highness!" Eirika said, and then shifted her attention to me, Storm, and Amber. "Kurogasa, Storm, Amber, I know that we have made a promise until I have reached Frelia, but may I ask for your strength once again to find my brother?"

"Of course." I nodded.

"You can count on us." Storm chirped.

"With the powers of Larc, Lance, and Blade, _nothing_ can stop us!" Amber added.

"Thank you…" Eirika smiled.

* * *

_Tana called her friend to her bed chamber as they were discussing about the audience they had from her father's throne room. "Eirika, you don't really intend to go through with this, _do_ you?" Tana asked worried. "I can't guess how you must feel, but it's just too dangerous. What would happen if you were captured by Grado's men?"_

_"Thank you for your concern, Tana. But I have no choice. Don't you _see_, Tana? I _have_ to go." Eirika replied._

_"Eirika… oh, why is this happening? What's gone wrong with this world?" Tana asked herself._

_"Tana…"_

_"Why would Grado invade? Emperor Vigarde is a man of _peace_. His people _adore_ him. And you and Ephraim are friends with Prince Lyon, are you _not_? What could be _behind_ this madness? Why is this happening…?"_

_"I have no answers for you, Tana. I don't want to believe it, but the reality is that we are at war. If I do nothing, I may lose my brother as well as my father. This is why I have to fight. It's the only answer I have." She told her friend before she made her way towards the door._

_"Wait, Eirika. There's something I want to ask you. It's about those warriors that helped you." Tana said. Eirika turned to her on that. "What do you think of Kurogasa?" She asked._

_"Eh? What makes you say_ that_?" Eirika asked._

_"Because I saw the whole battle at the gate and he looks to be a pretty kind and caring person. He was really worried for you when you were knocked unconscious." Tana told her, making Eirika slightly blush._

_"B–But, we're just friends…" Eirika stuttered._

_"Hmm… is that so…" Tana said pondering before she had a smile on her face. "Oh well, if you only think of him as a friend, I might as well take him away from you! He sure has caught _my_ interest." She said before Eirika walked out from her chamber and leaned against her door._

_"Did I… _really_ think of him as _only_ a friend?" Eirika asked herself before she shook her head and walked across the hallway._

* * *

Storm, Amber, and I have all been given a room to sleep for the night. After these past two days, we definitely needed some rest. "Man, I can't believe we're going on another adventure!" Amber said as he plopped on her bed.

"Yeah, we can wait for searching our way back home and focus on the battle ahead of us for the time being, right, buddy?" Storm asked me.

"Yeah, I wouldn't mind." I said as I took out the Blay Rouzer and fanned out the cards to look at them. But now that I've gotten a closer look at them, I gasped in horror when I noticed it. "Guys, we have a problem!"

"What is it?" Amber asked.

"Some of my cards are Proper Blanks!"

"EHHH?!" Storm said surprised before he opened up the briefcase and checked on the other cards too. "There are some Proper Blanks on _these_ cards!" He panicked. "And all the Royal Clubs are missing too!"

"WHAT?!" I shouted in disbelief as I went over to Storm and looked to see and I was shocked too. Storm and I took out all the cards and spread them out on the table. This is what we have as of now. For the Suit of Spades, we have the A, 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 9. For the Suit of Diamonds, we have the A, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, and 10. As with the Suit of Hearts, we have the 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 9. And lastly, the Suit of Clubs, having the 2, 3, 4, 6, 8, and 10

"Proper Blanks?" Amber said confused. That's right; she's still new to the Kamen Rider World.

"It's something that's used to trap the Undead for the powers we use in battle…" Storm explained which only led her to _more_ confusion.

"Think of it like catching a Pokémon using a Pokéball in the game." I said making an easy example, to which she _now_ understood.

"Is it really _that _bad?" Amber asked.

"Very bad…" I said. I wonder if that freaky portal somehow released some of the Undead too.

A knock was heard from our door and when it opened up, it turned out to be Eirika. "Am I interrupting something?" Eirika asked us as Storm packed up the cards.

"Ah, not really. We were just waiting for our little adventure to begin." Amber added.

"I see. Then you three better get some rest. We got a big day tomorrow." Eirika said.

"Will do!" Storm said happily before he jumped into his bed and get ready to sleep as Eirika closed the door. Amber looked at the door and stared at it for a while before looking at me with a smile

"What's up?" I asked her.

"It's nothing. Let's just get some rest… I'm really beat after all of that battling…" She said before she puts the briefcase close to her and went to sleep. I could only look at her for a while before getting to bed myself. I really couldn't sleep though, because of what I recently discovered. Almost half of the Undead somehow got released after going through that portal. So now we have three mission objectives. We have to go all over the continent to find the Undead and reseal them back into their cards. Rescue Eirika's brother Ephraim, _and_ find a way back home. Tomorrow is gonna be a long day, that's for sure.

* * *

Alright people, there you have it! Another chapter down! And we got some Undead on the loose, so this is gonna be exciting. So get to it, please review!


	3. Chapter 2: The Protected

Hey! What do you know! I got some reviews for this story! Thank goodness! I thought it would never catch _any_ attention! To those who reviewed, I thank you! So let's start of the second chapter of this story! Also another OC character made by Wild Fang is entering the story. His name is Akira. And you'll see which Kamen Rider he'll be. So let's go.

Disclaimer: Same thing. Also, Storm Ryder, Amber Lockhart, and Akira Inayo are owned by The Wild Fang.

* * *

Chapter 2: The Protected

The next morning had come by and I was sleeping away. Who would've thought that beds in the Medieval Era were so comfortable and cozy? I just wanna sleep the whole morning.

"Oi, Kurogasa, wake up."

Of course, hearing Amber who's telling me to wake up says otherwise.

"Mmmm… five more minutes…" I groaned.

"C'mon! Get up already! I know those beds are comfy, I'll admit, but that doesn't mean you can snore all day long!" Amber complained as if she's my mother.

"Should I try taking a pail of water and splash it all on his head?" Storm suggested.

"That's not a bad idea… but I got something _else_ on my sleeve…" Amber added.

"You're not gonna do what I _think_ you're gonna do, are you?" Storm asked. Amber could only grin mischievously. "Oh boy, here we go… Kurogasa, you better wake up now."

"I said five more minutes…" I groaned again.

Amber leaned forward towards my head and whispered something into my ear. "I'll give you two options…"

"Options?" I groaned.

"Should I go ask Eirika to wake you up… or… should I go with my 'special' treatment…?" Amber whispered cheekily. I shot up awake at the ultimatum she made.

"I'm awake! I'm awake!" I said frantically.

"Good! I was _hoping_ you would say that!" Amber said as she had both of her hands on her hips.

"You just had to threaten him with _that_ didn't you, Amber." Storm said with a sweat drop.

"What can I say… it's not _that_ hard to get to him…" Amber giggled lightly.

"Why? Why do you always threaten me with the 'special' treatment? You _know_ I hate it when you do that." I growled while I unconsciously put my hands over my butt. She does that to me sometimes back in high school whenever Storm and Amber come over to my house so we can walk to school together. And she _still_ does it to this day.

"Well, we don't want a certain princess to be kept waiting for another adventure! So let's go!" Amber said happily while carrying her briefcase about to go out the room. When she opened the door though, Eirika was right in front of her and both of them yelped in surprise, making Amber dropped her suitcase next to her.

"Oh… I'm sorry. I was about to wake you three up, but I'm getting shocked instead…" Eirika said as she sighed in relief to calm down.

"Oh, really? I thought that if Kurogasa wasn't waking up, I was thinking about calling _you_ to wake him up." Amber said bluntly, making Eirika slightly blush and so did I.

"Well, anyways, now that I'm up, let me get dressed properly first and then we'll get some breakfast. We can't go on an adventure with an empty stomach after all." I said.

"Alright, I'll be waiting at the dining room…" Eirika said to us before she headed off.

Storm stood up and stretched upwards to loosen up. "Well, I might as well get some grub. I wonder if they have the ingredients to do my egg burger." Storm said to himself before walking out of the room, leaving me and Amber.

"You wanna know something?" Amber asked me.

"Does it involve me and Eirika again?" I deadpanned. Seriously, when is Amber gonna give up with all this teasing?

"Nope, but I'm going to tell you anyways, since you might not have noticed it. Last night, after she closed the door, I noticed that she was still at the front door for a bit before she walked away from our room." Amber said.

"And you know this… how?" I blinked.

"Call it a woman's intuition." Amber said before she picked her briefcase and looked at me one more time. "Well, whenever you're ready to come down, you better hurry up. Don't want you to make her wait for you again." She winked before walking out of the room, leaving me alone. Seriously, that girl is just relentless. I heaved a sigh before getting dressed. After a few minutes, dressed in my medieval clothes when I first got here, I headed out the room to get breakfast. I just hope Storm keeps his table manners in check.

* * *

And… he didn't…

"Pardon me for asking, but… what are you eating, young man?" King Hayden asked Storm as he stacked up a few boiled eggs, a layer of roasted meat, and sandwiched it together with two pieces of bread.

"Oh, this? This is an egg burger!" Storm answered before he got the first bite on it.

"That's my boyfriend for ya." Amber pointed out as she took a bite on a piece of ham with manners.

"That boy sure is energetic…" Vanessa commented.

"Indeed. But, it _could_ be a good thing, despite being in the midst of war…" Father Moulder said fatherly.

"Say, where's Seth and the other two?" Amber asked.

"Seth, Gilliam, and Franz are practicing their swordsmanship at the courtyard. They have already had their breakfast." Eirika answered.

Meanwhile, I was having my breakfast of scrambled eggs and a big piece of roasted boar, which was cut up into pieces, and it tasted very good with some kind of sauce the chef made, especially for the roasted boar. I might have to get the recipe. While eating in good manners, Tana sat right next to me, all interested and wanting to know all about me.

"So, Kurogasa, aren't you going to tell me where you got that _marvelous_ armor of yours?" Tana kept asking with a smile.

"Tana, mind your manners in this dining hall. Can't you see that he's eating?" Hayden chided gently.

"But Father, doesn't his armor pique your curiosity? From the looks of it, he might not be from here at _all_. If I had to guess, he must be someone from a foreign continent." Tana pondered as Eirika giggled over her friend's antics.

"What you said _might_ be true, Tana. Your answer is not too far off…" Eirika told her. It's true, her answer wasn't far off and Eirika _knew_ about that since we've told her, the day we met.

"Really? _Now_ I'm getting interested to know you _more_!" Tana said while looking at me and Eirika giggled more.

"Young lady, you should know your manners. When he's ready to tell you, he'll tell you eventually." Hayden advised.

"Say, I was wondering if the three of you could demonstrate for us? You know, like your armors magic and such." Tana said. Storm and Amber didn't seem to mind… then they looked at me, waiting for an answer.

"What do you think, buddy?" Storm asked.

"You know it _would_ be rude if you denied the offer of a girl…" Amber teased again. Honestly, she _always_ finds the chance to get back at me, _especially_ if she loses a bet to me…

"I… guess it wouldn't hurt." I eventually sighed. "But after breakfast, okay?"

"You're no fun!" Tana pouted childishly before taking a sip from her drink.

"But don't be surprised when that happens…" Storm told Tana, leaving her confused.

"Why?"

"Oh, you'll see soon enough…" Amber answered.

* * *

After breakfast, Storm, Amber, and I along with the Eirika, Tana, Vanessa, Father Moulder, and King Hayden went to the courtyard where Seth, Franz, and Gilliam were, so we could demonstrate. "Well, shall we?" I asked Storm and Amber, as they agreed. The three of us took out our belt buckles and slid the Category Aces into our belts before placing it onto our waists. When we did that, a deck of cards formed around our waist, changing into a belt, much to their surprise, except the ones who've already witnessed and knew about it. I slowly raised my right arm onto the left shoulder; while Storm crossed his arms with his fists closed and Amber held the slides of her buckle while it let out the pulsing sounds.

"Why are they in a strange pose?" Father Moulder asked.

"Could it be one of the requirements of using such magic?" Vanessa wondered.

"No idea…" Tana shrugged as Gilliam and Franz were watching this too.

"Henshin!" Storm, Amber, and I shouted in unison. I flicked my right wrist before my right arm went down to grab the lever of the belt and raised my left hand at the same spot before, as Amber pulled the slides, and Storm's palm opened up and used both of his hands to open the buckle.

**TURN/OPEN UP**

After the declaration, three rectangles of red, green, and blue appeared right in front of us and them, with our insignia at the front, surprising the ones who haven't seen it before. It slowly went to our side, making our way through, before our transformation was complete. "Wow!" Tana said amazed and excited.

"This is… new…" Vanessa said surprised.

"I've never _seen_ such magic before…" Father Moulder pointed out. "Are they aligned with the light or the darkness?"

"Neither… it's from an ancient magic." I told them.

"And with these armors, they were able to save us from our deaths…" Eirika told King Hayden.

"Not to mention that Kurogasa took out a Grado commander with just a kick!" Tana said ecstatic.

"Honestly, what _are_ you all?" King Hayden asked us.

"We are Kamen Riders." I answered. "When in this armor, I am known as Kamen Rider Blade."

"They call me Kamen Rider Lance." Storm said smugly.

"And I'm called Kamen Rider Larc." Amber added.

"Kamen… Riders?" Gilliam said confused.

"We're the protectors of justice, where _we_ come from, simply put." I told them, which King Hayden understood.

"_Now_ I see why Eirika was determined to go save her brother… with the three of _you_ supporting her, I think the mission would be possible to do so." King Hayden deducted.

"Yes, and I thank them for that." Eirika praised us.

"If that's the case, we might as well be prepared for the journey. It will be tough, but nothing would be impossible to do so." Gilliam suggested as the rest of us agreed.

* * *

_After the demonstration, the group set to work on putting supplies into the wagons. Amber was dealing with putting food in one wagon, because for all _she_ knows, if _Storm_ were handling the food, he could be _eating_ it while getting them. Storm was tasked with getting extra weapons into a second wagon. If one somehow broke their weapons during battle, they might need a spare. As for Kurogasa, he was tasked with putting camp supplies into a third wagon. Extra camping supplies wouldn't hurt either because you never know what might happen. As the three continued to work, Eirika was looking on._

_"Coin for your thoughts, Princess Eirika?" Vanessa asked walking towards the Princess._

_"Vanessa…" Eirika gasped in surprise before she calmed down, "I was just wondering how my brother is doing right now."_

_"I see. Do not worry about your brother. He'll be alright since he's a valiant warrior…" Vanessa assured her._

_"I know…" Eirika said before she shifts her attention back to the wagon. Particularly on Kurogasa._

_"I noticed you've been looking at that young man over there for a while. Care to share?" Vanessa asked motherly._

_"Um…" Eirika blushed._

_"It's alright. You don't have to tell me when you are not ready. But please, do take care of yourself. We don't want you to get hurt…" Vanessa smiled before she left walking in the opposite direction, leaving Eirika on her own. She kept thinking about what Tana said the other night._

_"We _are_ just friends… right?" Eirika asked herself while looking at Kurogasa, who was getting another headlock from Storm after finishing packing up the items needed for the journey as the wind blew gently on her skin, letting her hair flow._

* * *

Well, we managed to get everything packed for the journey ahead. One wagon filled with food, another with extra weaponry, and a third full of camping supplies. We also brought along an empty fourth wagon if anyone walking was tired and needed to rest inside. After getting some funds from King Hayden, giving us 5,000 Gold from Castle Frelia, we began our journey south towards Grado. The first few days were without incident, save for a few bandits trying to steal our stuff, but we easily took care of that. As of now, we were still on the road. "Are we there yet?" Storm complained while riding on a horse with Father Moulder, keeping a good lookout at the back while Seth, Gilliam, Vanessa and Franz took the front, and Eirika and I were in the lead wagon, guiding the horses pulling the train of wagons.

"Storm, stop asking that already… you've been saying that like, many times now…" Amber said while riding behind him as she pinched his sides to make him alert.

"Patience is a virtue, young man. It will be a good experience." Father Moulder added.

"Believe me, patience is the _last_ thing he has on his mind…" I said.

"Just how far is it to Ide?" Storm asked.

"It won't be long now." Eirika assured. "Seth has mapped out a route for us. We'll keep on traveling south of Renais and pass through Serafew into Grado territory."

"Hmm… that would seem a sensible plan." Father Moulder pondered. "Assuming, of course, that we can avoid any run–ins with Grado soldiers…"

"That's the _last_ thing we need to encounter…" I said as the whole carriage halted and Vanessa approached her.

"Princess Eirika, may I have your leave to scout ahead? From the sky, I'll have a better chance of spotting any nearby troops." Vanessa offered.

"We're yours to command, Your Highness. Will you give your permission?" Father Moulder asked her.

"Yes, of course. Keep an eye out for enemy bowmen though, Vanessa." Eirika told her.

"Yes, Your Highness, I shall. I shall prove myself worthy of the honor of your trust." Vanessa said humbly before she sets off with her Pegasus to soar to the sky.

"She seems very… sincere." Eirika praised.

"Sincere… yes, quite." Father Moulder nodded in agreement before everyone settled down.

"If only your Blue Spader and my Kabuto Extender were fit enough to bring into this world, they would've been in for a shock…" Storm muttered randomly, as he was _still_ impressed by the appearance of a Pegasus.

* * *

_As Vanessa soared to the sky, she began scouting for danger ahead. After a while, she noticed a group of bandits appearing outside one of the villages. "Hey, boss! We've found more villages ripe for the picking!" One of the bandits told him the boss started to count._

_"One, two, three… ha, ha, ha! I _love_ a good war! With all those soldiers preoccupied, we're free to pillage as we please! Right, Bone, you're in charge! Grab everything that's not nailed down and bring it to the hideout." He said satisfied._

_"I'm on it!" Bone responded as the boss took his leave._

* * *

_Meanwhile, inside the village…_

_"Dad! Bandits approaching!" a young man shouted, who had short black hair which was covered by brown bandanna, wearing brown leather armor with a black shirt, white short pants, and dirty yellow boots and gloves. He held a hatchet in his hand._

_"Hmm… I'm getting you out of here, Ross. You stay close to me!" An older man in his 40's said, who had short black hair and beard, wearing simple leather sleeveless armor and black pants, wrapped with a red cloth around his waist. He held an axe on his shoulders, ready to go on a battle. Another figure ran towards the two._

_"Wait! Ross, Mr. Garcia! Why don't we plan out before entering the battle?" A young boy said who had shoulder length light brunette hair, wearing a white shirt with blue–green leather armor without any shoulder pads, black pants and black shoes. Around his waist, he is equipped with a crossbow._

_"Listen, Akira! If we don't stop them now, the village would be destroyed by those bandits! So, arm yourself!" Garcia warned him._

_"Let's show these guys we're not the ones that should be messed with, dad!" Ross added before the two rushed forward, leaving Akira all alone._

_"Just how did I get here in the first place…?" Akira asked himself before he quickly ran towards them. "Wait for me!"_

* * *

_"Let's start with that village there! Go to it, boys! It's all yours. Cut down anyone fool enough to get in your way. I'm heading west around the mountains to the other villages." Bone commanded as he took his leave. The bandits began attacking one of the villages, but not before they were confronted Ross, Garcia, and Akira. The former two, took the front line and Akira took the back line while wielding his crossbow. He took aim with his crossbow and managed to take out one of the bandit's but since it would take so long to reload, he ditched his crossbow and took out what appeared to be a gun with a diamond–shaped insignia on it and he immediately pulled the trigger onto the incoming enemies._

_"Yah!" Ross shouted, cleaving his enemy with his hatchet but not before he got one of his own as his back was exposed by the enemy's sight, and got a slash from the sneak attack._

_"Ross!" Garcia shouted as he tried to get to his son, but he was blocked by the bandits._

_Knowing they were being overwhelmed by the number of bandits, Akira stepped forward and shot them with bullets to take some of them down. When his weapon ran out of ammo, he slid it back to its sheath and, both Ross and Garcia managed to escape. One of the bandits threw his axe and left a deep wound on Akira's thigh, making him collapse onto the ground. "Akira!" Garcia shouted as he ran back and picked the boy up onto his shoulder before they made their way towards the woods._

_Some of them tried to chase them, but one of them shouted, "Leave them be! We got a village to steal!"_

* * *

_While the village was being destroyed by the bandits, Akira, Ross and Garcia escaped from the battle. Even though they've tried their best stopping them, they were outnumbered and worst of all, Ross and Akira were injured. "Unnnng!" Ross gritted in pain as he arced his back from the earlier slash._

_"Ross? What is it? What's wrong?" Garcia asked._

_"It's nothing! It's just a scratch! You're a warrior, Dad, and I'm your son. I won't be beaten so easily." He said confidently._

_"Don't risk yourself so foolishly!" Garcia scolded before shifting his attention to Akira, who grunted in pain. "Boy, I thank you for saving us, but try to hold on!" Garcia shouted as he took off his bandanna and wrapped it around Akira's wound. Akira couldn't help but scream in pain as Garcia tried to close the wound from letting out more blood._

_"Come on! Hold on!" Ross said as he applied pressure onto Akira's wound._

_"Please! Somebody help us! We got an injured child!" Garcia shouted for help, gaining Vanessa's attention._

_"This is terrible. I_ must_ report this to Princess Eirika." Vanessa said and urged her Pegasus to go quickly back to Eirika and company._

* * *

Eirika, the rest of the company, and I were resting with the wagons. "Seriously, what's taking Vanessa so long?" Storm asked.

"Scouting is something that takes time, Storm. Besides, she's just doing her thing…" I told him.

"At least for now, we can enjoy the moment of peace." Amber added while leaning next to her boyfriend.

"I guess so…" Storm admitted as he puts his arm around her shoulder for comfort.

"Oh? Seems like she has arrived…" Gilliam said as Vanessa landed her Pegasus on the ground and immediately ran towards Eirika. Something must be up.

"Princess Eirika! We have bad news! The village at the east is under attack by bandits!" Vanessa informed, gaining our attention.

"Bandits?!" Eirika asked surprised, which Vanessa nodded in confirmation.

"Here? At this hour?" Franz said in disbelief.

"When did it happen?" Seth asked.

"Just now!" Vanessa said making us gasp in shock.

"We have arrived at our first dilemma." Father Moulder stated. "We _must_ move quickly and attract as little attention as possible, but…"

"But I cannot stand by and watch innocents be harmed!" Eirika denied before her focus shifted to Vanessa. "Vanessa, how fare the villagers?"

"I spotted three people at the woods and two of them are injured children." Vanessa said.

"This is bad!" Amber said standing up.

"Father Moulder, can your staff heal him?" Eirika asked.

"It can, but I can't do it from afar, unless I have Physic Staff. I need to get close to him." Father Moulder said.

"Vanessa, fly and get those two injured people over here." I said then looked around seeing two villages next to each other. "Eirika and I will head to the nearest village. Seth, you and Gilliam head to the village next to one _we're_ heading. Franz, Father Moulder, Storm, Amber, stay with the wagons. We can't have bandits stealing our stuff."

"Not gonna happen!" Storm stood up while getting his gear on his arms. "Protecting people is part of the job as a hero!"

"There's no time for that!" I argued.

"I'm not joking around here!" Storm retorted.

"Don't you two worry; I'll stick around here with Franz and Father Moulder to guard the wagons. You guys can go ahead." Amber suggested.

"Are you sure?" Seth asked.

"I'm positive!" Amber told him.

"Alright fine, Storm go with Seth and Gilliam, but don't transform when you get to the village unless the bandits are already attacking it. We can't have people freaking out." I said.

"I get it already!" Storm told me as he rode on his horse and made his way towards the danger zone with Seth and Gilliam.

"Are you sure they're going to be alright?" Franz asked Amber.

"Don't worry. Those two might quarrel at each other's throats, but they know what they're doing." Amber assured him.

"I just hope you are correct about it, young lady…" Father Moulder said to her.

* * *

_At this time, Vanessa returned to where she located the three people earlier and slowly descended to the ground. "Who are you?!" Ross demanded._

_"Do not worry, I am an ally." Vanessa told him before she took a look at Akira with his injury. "It must be a serious wound…, come with me, and allow me to take both of you back to heal."_

_"Hey!" Ross shouted as he was being carried by her while Garcia slowly puts Akira at the back._

_"Calm down, lad. Keep squirming and I _may_ drop you." Vanessa warned as she was making sure Akira wasn't falling either since he's still unconscious. "I'm carrying both of you to the other side of the mountains. This boy needs treatment immediately."_

_"Wait! Dad!" Ross called out._

_"Don't worry about me. Go! I'll hold these scums here! Take care of both of them!" Garcia told Vanessa, before the latter nodded and urged her Pegasus to took flight once again._

_"DAD!"_

* * *

Eirika and I soon arrived at the village I assigned us to. The whole village was in panic for a reason. "This is terrible… What are we going to do? Those bandits are so close. If we can't find some way to protect ourselves, the village is doomed." One of the villagers said frantically.

"Perhaps…" a woman in her late 20's said. She had blonde hair that reached to her shoulders, wearing a dark brown shirt with white pants and long black boots and white long gloves. She also had a green cape on her back.

It was then Eirika stood forward and warned the villagers. "People, listen to me! You must close the village gates immediately. Hurry, before the bandits arrive!" Eirika shouted at them, which gained the woman's attention.

"Who are you? You two are not from one of the neighboring towns, are you? And your weapons give you away… You're no peasants." She added.

"I am Er… My name is Erina. I'm a mercenary. And this is my fellow comrade, Kurogasa." Eirika lied, which piqued her curiosity.

"I see. I feel as though you two are something more, but pay me no mind. My name is Selena, a General of the Grado Army."

OH SNAP! A General of the Grado Army?! This was bad! _Real_ bad!

"Is something wrong? Both of you looked surprised by my reply…" Selena said. How _couldn't_ we? We're facing a General of Grado's army for crying out loud!

Eirika managed to calm herself down. "No… uh, nothing."

Selena didn't seem to mind before she continued to speak, "It looks like these villagers have some bandit troubles. I would like to help, but I have orders… I'm to leave for the capital immediately, and I cannot stay. Both of you are armed, and you claim to be mercenaries. Will you help them?" She's asking for _our_ help? I wonder what her motive is. "Is there a problem between the two of you?" Selena suspected.

"No! Of _course_, I'll help them! It's just… You're one of Grado's generals… Why…" Eirika asked. She wanted the explanation and Selena replied one that opened our eyes about her.

"These aren't soldiers. They're people. Should they suffer because their leaders fight? I've petitioned your aid. Take this as payment." Selena said as she handed her a red gem, leaving us confused before she rode away with her horse.

"She was… kind…" Eirika said, at a loss of words.

"I'm surprised that our _cover_ wasn't blown." I said honestly.

"Me either… she was in a hurry…" Eirika added before she puts the Red Gem in her small pouch. "Come; let us head back to the caravan. I'm sure Seth and Storm have already done their task."

"Right." I nodded and we headed out of the village.

* * *

As soon as we got back to the group, they have _also_ arrived. Great timing I guess. "You guys finished too?" I asked them.

"Yes, we have warned the rest of the villages." Seth answered.

"And we were also able to drive out some of the bandits from the village." Gilliam added.

"Hey, she's back!" Storm said as he pointed up to the sky and saw Vanessa bringing the two injured that were on her Pegasus.

"Father Moulder, I have brought them and one of them is in bad shape!" Vanessa told him as Father Moulder immediately walked towards them.

"I told you, it was just a scratch! _This_ kid needs more medical attention!" One of the guys said.

Storm, Amber, and I looked to the injured person in question and we were shocked of who it was. "AKIRA?!" We shouted as we went over to him.

"You all… _know_ him?" Franz asked.

"Are you _kidding_ me?! He's our little bro!" Storm shouted.

"Little _brother_?!" Most of them said shocked.

"Not like a _real_ little brother. He _sees_ us like his older brothers and sister. A role model." I corrected.

"Akira! Akira! What _happened_ to you!?" Storm said frantically.

"He got injured while trying to save me and my dad." The other boy explained. Storm, however, was surprised for some reason when he picked up something from Akira's sheath.

"Buddy… look! It's the Garren Rouzer!" Storm said while showing me the Diamond Motif gun.

"And if he has _that_, then…" I began, before I noticed a bag on Akira's back. I took the bag and opened it up to reveal… the Garren Buckle and Rouze Absorber!

"No way… He _also_ got absorbed into this world too?!" Amber asked surprised.

Father Moulder made his way towards the fainted Akira and aimed his staff at him. "Do not worry; young ones. With the power of my staff, his wounds would be no longer there and he will rejuvenate to normal." Moulder assured them before he chanted something. A bright glow from the orb of his staff shone as healing light surrounded Akira and the other guy. It took a while but Moulder healed him and his wound disappeared. His skin was pristine as if he weren't injured in the first place.

"Hey, my wound, it's gone!" The boy noticed.

"Yes, now please try to stay out of harm's way." Father Moulder advised. At that point, Akira was stirring.

"Hey, he's awake!" The boy said as Akira slowly came to and sat up in confusion.

"How long have I been out cold?" Akira muttered to himself before looking at his thigh. "I _did_ remember about getting injured…"

"You _did_, but Father Moulder healed you." Amber replied back. When Akira turned around, he was so surprised he suddenly lunged forward and hugged the three of us at the same time.

"Big brothers! Sis! You're here too! I'm _so_ glad I'm not alone!" Akira said tearing up a bit, which made Eirika feel touched by the reunion.

"Glad to see you too kid." I said as he soon let go of us. "But how the heck did you _get_ here?"

"Well… that's a long story…" Akira said as he calmed down. "While I was heading towards the convention with the items I wanted to bring, while getting myself the Garren armor, I saw a strange alley that was… calling for help. When I entered it, it slowly absorbed me into this light. I tried to call for help or make an escape but I couldn't. In the end, I ended up in a village where I met Ross and his father." Akira added.

"I see… same thing happened to _us_… in a different way; that is…" Storm said to him.

"But, I'm glad I'm not alone, especially with the ones that I admire the most!" Akira said happily.

"Hey listen! My name's Ross. My village is under attack by bandits and we need your help! Come on! You have to help me wipe those thugs out!" Ross said quickly.

"All right, just… just take a deep breath and calm down, Ross." Eirika said calmly. "Leave the villages to us. We'll drive off the bandits. Seth, take the boy somewhere safe." She suggested.

"No! Wait! I'm going to fight, too!" Ross declared.

"But…" Eirika got out.

"Ross is right, everyone! The village is under attack and his father is still there. We must go and help him!" Akira urged.

"Please, I beg of you! Help us!" Ross pleaded.

Eirika looked at him for a while before she looked to me "What shall we do?" Eirika asked.

"Whatever the command we receive, we shall follow." Vanessa added.

I was silent for a moment as everyone looked at me. Then I gave my answer. "You should know by now, that I don't turn down people who need help. Let's take these bandits out." I said. "And Akira, you're gonna need this." I said as I threw him the Change Stag Ace card to which he caught and I gave him the Garren Buckle.

"A Category Ace!" Akira said, but then he got confused. "But, why are you _giving_ me this?"

"Try putting it in the buckle and see what happens next." I instructed him, but he hesitated.

"But, these are just toys. The only thing that became real is the Garren Rouzer." Akira pointed out.

"That's where you're wrong. If the Garren Rouzer can be real, why can't your Garren Buckle be real?" I asked him. He was thinking about this for a while, until in the end, he decided to do what I told him to do. He slotted in his Category Ace in the buckle before he slowly placed it around his waist. To his surprise, a deck of cards wrapped around his waist, which left a pulsing sound.

"E–Eh?! W–What happened?! Am I seeing this right?" Akira gawked.

"Now, do Garren's pose and shout that word out loud!" Amber grinned. He nodded and then slowly stretched his right arm forward, as the others anticipated what was going to happen next.

"HENSHIN!" Akira shouted, closing his eyes before he made a gesture of moving his right hand onto the lever while his left closed fist was perpendicular on his left shoulder, before he pulled the lever.

**TURN UP**

With that, a blue rectangle of energy showing the picture of the Change Stag, shot from out from his buckle. Akira opened his eyes, and he couldn't believe what he was seeing. Ross was even _more_ surprised from the sudden appearance of the hologram. "Am I actually seeing this for _real_?!" Akira asked shocked. The hologram rectangle went towards him and Akira started freaking out until he went through and the armor was donned on him. He was surprised as he looked carefully on him. He had a red bodysuit, covered with silver armor with the diamond shape at the middle of the chest armor, greaves and elbow pads. On his shoulder pads, he dons his insignia in gold color. On his helmet, he had green eyes and the shape of it resembled a stag beetle.

Akira had become Kamen Rider Garren.

"Wh–What's going _on_ here?!" Ross demanded as the rest of the group wasn't surprised and Akira was still a little bit frantic.

"Ah, no way! I've become Garren! Big bros, sis! Look at–"

**TURN/OPEN UP**

Three more rectangle holograms ejected from our belts and when we passed through, Garren was in shock after witnessing our transformation. "Y–You guys _too_?!"

"Of course." I replied back as Larc handed him his Suit of Diamond cards.

"You're going to need this, Akira." Larc told him as Akira took the card and opened up his Garren Rouzer to put in his cards.

"I can't believe I'm a Kamen Rider…" Garren said amazed but then he noticed something. "Wait, what about–"

"Oh, don't you worry about us. We still have some cards at our disposal." Lance reminded him.

"So what are we _waiting_ for? Let's kick some bandit butt already!" Larc said smugly.

"Dad, just hang on tight! We're coming for you!" Ross shouted out loud.

* * *

_Garcia was leaning against the tree, as was getting tired from trying to protect other people from being harmed by the bandits. "Blast… there're too many…" Garcia cursed as most of the villagers were able to evacuate and the bandits had a smirk on their faces._

_"What do we have here? A fighter, who wants to play hero?!" Bone said as he held his axe. "And he's worn out. Let me finish you off with a chop to your head!" He said before he made a run for it, only to have his axe being shot away from his grasp. When he turned to his left, Garcia saw his son and another group of people… and he had a surprise on his face along with the bandits._

* * *

"W–What _is_ this?!" Bone demanded.

"We're here to kick your butt!" Larc announced.

"Blade, mind I take their leader down? I think _he's_ the one that caused this mess in the first place…" Garren asked me.

"Sure, he's all yours." I said as the rest of us are charged forward at the bandits. Lance went forward with his Lance Rouzer. He had two cards in his hands and roused it on his Rouzer.

**DRILL**

**TORNADO**

The holograms of Drill Shell and Tornado Hawk appeared behind him as three of the bandits threw their axes at his direction while the other two charged forward. Both holograms then entered in him to initiate the move.

**SPINNING ATTACK**

Swirls of wind appeared in him as he swung his Lance Rouzer and deflect all three axes and managed to kill the charging forward bandits. The three who threw their axes were surprised from the sudden counterattack as Ross jumped onto one of them and hit him with his hatchet in hand as Garcia was busy taking out the other threw her javelin at one of the bandits and that bandit managed to block it before being tackled by her Pegasus. As she went airborne, a few arrows were shot at her. Some of the archers were aiming to hit her. Larc saw this as she remembered what Eirika said about Pegasus Knights being vulnerable against archers.

"She needs help…" Larc said to herself as she took out a card and roused it at her Larc Rouzer.

**POISON**

The hologram of the Poison Scorpion entered her Larc Rouzer as she took aim and shot a few arrows at the archers. When it hits the targets, the archers panicked as their skin changed color and eventually, went limp on the ground. "That takes care of that…" Larc added before she saw Gilliam run towards her direction and quickly gave a thrust of his lance at the bandit that was behind her.

"Be careful next time…" Gilliam reminded her.

"I will. Thanks." Larc said before she moved forward and took the javelin from the enemy. When she raised it high, Vanessa immediately took it from her hands before soaring back to the sky once again. Meanwhile, Franz and Seth rounded up three bandits as the latter were prepared for any incoming attack. What they _didn't_ notice was Father Moulder raising his staff high and blinding them with his healing powers. True, it might heal them but the light that it gave out was enough to make their eyes hurt. Seeing the chance, the two immediately closed in and killed the two of them before Vanessa swooped down and let her javelin pierced through the third one's skull.

"What teamwork!" Franz said happily as Seth gave a nod of agreement.

Eirika kept on the offensive, as she tried to stab a bandit with her rapier, but he was able to block it with his axe. He then in turn, swings his axe at her but she dodged it in time because the axe was slower than her rapier. Eirika took her stance and slowly pulled her rapier back, waiting for the perfect time to attack. As soon as the bandit moved forward, she immediately lunges her rapier onto him, hitting the target before delivering another few stabs of her own, killing the target.

"Take this!" I said as I roused my cards.

**SLASH**

**THUNDER**

The holograms of Slash Lizard and Thunder Deer appeared, and were absorbed into my Blay Rouzer.

**LIGHTING SLASH**

Two more bandits lunged forward towards me as I got into a stance. They swung their axes on me and I gave a slash onto their axes. When the attack connected, their axes were slashed in half, surprising them before I delivered a horizontal and diagonal slash, leaving a deep cut on the bandits accompanied by sparks of lightning, killing them on the spot.

"That is the last of them, correct?" Eirika asked me.

I looked around and noticed Garren still fighting the boss. "Just one more." I said.

"I hope young Akira would be okay…" Eirika said worried.

"Don't worry about him. With his powers, everything would be just fine." I assured her as both of us continued to watch the battle as the others tried to look for more bandits who might be hiding.

"Yah!" Bone swung his axe onto Garren, which he blocked with his Rouzer. Garren pushed him back and delivered one of his kicks at the boss's gut. He then took aim with his Rouzer and shot a few times at his hands. Bone was able to deflect it with his axe, but his actions caused his axe to lose its durability. Garren kept on shooting his axe, until it eventually shattered into pieces. "Oh no! I better retreat!" Bone said as he tried to make a run for it, but not before a rouse was heard from Larc.

**BLIZZARD**

A hologram of Blizzard Polar appeared behind her and was absorbed into her Rouzer before she took aim at his legs and froze him in his tracks, making him unable to escape. "What's the meaning of this?! Why can't I move my feet!?" Bone cursed.

"Sorry, you're not going anywhere!" Larc teased with a wag of her index finger to him.

"Thanks Larc." Garren said and turned towards Bone. "Time for the finisher." He said as he took two cards and roused them.

**DROP**

**FIRE**

The holograms of Drop Whale and Fire Fly appeared behind him as it was absorbed into his armor and the move was declared.

**BURNING SMASH**

Garren's kicking foot was engulfed in fire and he leaped high to do a corkscrew spin. The others who were watching were amazed by the acrobatic feat before he lunged his kicking foot on Bone with a drop kick, hitting his target before landing on one knee.

"Gah!" Bone shouted in pain as his whole body was engulfed in flames. The kick that Garren connected on his head caused a crack to be heard before Bone slowly slumped down after the flames dimmed down. "…Blast…" Bone got out before he dropped dead to the ground.

"Alright! I did it!" Garren cheered happily after completing his goal as the whole team regrouped and Ross had a big grin on his face.

"Well done, Akira!" Ross said as he patted Garren's back.

"Thank you!" Garren replied with a slight bow.

"Well, I think our work here is done. Sure, we still have to burn the bodies, but we'll deal with that later." I said as I pulled the lever and took out the card to go back to civilian form as did Larc, Lance, and Garren did the same thing.

"The safety of the villagers is a priority and we have succeeded." Eirika said as Seth made his way towards our direction.

"There seems to be no more bandits around here." Seth told her, which she nodded. Garcia walked forward and confronted us.

"You saved my son. I owe you my thanks." Garcia said.

"It's not necessary…" Eirika waved off as Seth noticed something about the man.

"…Hold on a moment … Aren't you… the great Garcia? You fought for Renais, didn't you?" Seth pointed out, making the said man keep quiet, as Eirika was curious about it.

"Seth, do you _know_ this man?"

"He was a troop commander for Renais until around ten years ago. When I was a recruit, the soldiers used to tell so many tales about him. They called him a daring and fearless fighter for Renais. Master Garcia, you must know the peril our homeland faces right now… Can we impose upon you to lend your strength to Renais once again?" He asked.

"…I'm sorry. I'm retired now. I'm not a soldier anymore. It's… a decision I made long ago." Garcia regrettably said to Seth.

"Master Garcia…" Seth got out.

"…When I was a soldier, I lived my life fighting for my country's honor. I left no time for my family. I spent my life fighting for faceless, uncaring nobles. When my wife fell ill and died, I met the child she had left behind… At that moment, I finally realized what my duty had cost me." He continued, which made Eirika understand how he felt, "I stood at my wife's grave and promised her I would be a father to our son. I'm done with armies. I'm done with fighting, except to protect my son. I've no regrets. I'm the boy's father." He added. Ross had enough of his father's weak determination as he stepped up. He looked at his father and then…

*BAM!*

He had punched him in the jaw which made us all shocked. Even Garcia _himself_ was shocked that his own son would hit him. Ross was even panting. He must've taken a lot of effort to make that one punch. "Ross!" Garcia said surprised by his son's action.

"You…You blasted fool! Father, what's all this _nonsense_ I'm hearing?!" Ross panted. Oh boy… this could get ugly…"If _you're_ not going, then _I_ will! I'm a fighter! I _know_ I can do this!"

"Ross, what are you saying? I…"

"_You_ listen to me Dad! I respect you more than any other man in the world. I know you gave up being a soldier for me. I _know_ that! But how can you throw away such a big _part_ of yourself? You're a warrior at heart! You can't give that up and be happy!" Ross continued, causing his father to be quiet. "Look at me, Dad! Have you seen me fight? I'm not a child anymore! I'm a warrior, like you. You're free to worry, but I can survive on my own!"

"…Ross."

"You want to challenge me, Father? I'm a fighter! The best in _all_ of Ide! I'm not gonna lose to _you_! I'm not gonna lose to _anyone_!" Ross said firmly, making Garcia realize on what he sees in front of him.

"…You're right. You're a good soldier, Ross." He said as he shifted his focus on Seth. "Sir Seth… If these old bones of mine can still serve, I'd like to join you." He decided, making his son touched by his determination.

"Dad…"

"Looks like my boy grew up while I wasn't looking… He's tougher than I thought. And I think it showed in that punch he gave me. He doesn't need my help. I've raised him as best I could, but he's right. I've nothing to fear. I _should_ fight. I _will_ fight." He decided as Ross had a smile after hearing what his father has to say.

"Dad!"

Meanwhile, Akira went towards Storm, Amber and I, wanting to discuss about something. "Say, big bro, why is it that some of the cards are Proper Blanks?" Akira asked in confusion. "I was thinking about doing the Burning Divide but I noticed Gemini was missing…"

"Uh… well… you see, Akira…" Storm said as he looked around before whispering something to him, surprising Akira.

"Eh?! Really?!" Akira asked shocked.

"There's no doubt about it…" I said.

"That's the reason why some of them are blanks…" Storm added.

"But don't worry! We'll hunt them down and seal them back!" Amber assured him.

So with that, all of us, after Father Moulder gave the dead their Last Rites, carried the bodies of the bandits to be burned. It wasn't a pleasant thing to do, but it had to be done. "That's the last of them…" Vanessa said after looking at the bonfire.

"True. This way, the village would _never_ be bothered by those bandits again…" Franz assured.

"Don't be so sure, lad. This might be one part of their group members being killed. Who _knows_ when they will attack again?" Gilliam assured him.

"Yeah, that's why you always have to be on your guard." I said.

* * *

_As the sun set, Eirika met with the head of one of the villages that were safe from the bandits. "Thank you so much for your help." The Head Villager said. "Please, stay the night and rest…" _

_"We would if we could, but we have much to go and far to travel. Your safety is reward enough." Eirika politely declined._

_"Ah, well…" The Head Villager sighed until he noticed something on her wrist. "My, that is a splendid bracelet you're wearing."_

_"Thank you. My father gave this to me." She replied._

_"It's a wonderful gift. But you should be careful, wearing such a valuable item so openly. Since Renais was invaded, things have become so dangerous around here. There are gold–hungry thieves and bandits everywhere. The most wicked are Bazba's Bandits. They are… _cruel_ beyond words. If you have something they want, your life is worth _less_ than nothing. Just the other day they assaulted some travelers and… Oh, it was awful." The Head Villager warned her, much to her surprise._

_"I…I can't believe such things…"_

_"Oh, Renais is finished, mark my words. The Grado Empire's stolen our future. Our only hope against them was that Prince Ephraim would prevail, but… rumor has it that he's on the verge of being crushed by Grado's vast numbers. These are dark days. Travel with care." The Head Villager said then returned back to the village._

* * *

Night soon fell and we already had to set up camp. Tonight's dinner, bowls of beef stew, courtesy of Amber's cooking. "Well, you guys better eat well!" Amber said as the rest dug in.

"Wah~! The taste hasn't changed at all! This is really good!" Akira perked before taking another bite. Throughout the whole night, dinner was nice and everyone enjoyed the stew Amber made. Garcia and Ross wanted to know about ours powers and stuff so we didn't mind telling. On the other hand, Eirika looked a bit down after hearing what the Head Villager told her. In fact, she hasn't taken a bite out of her stew at all.

"Excuse me…" Eirika said as she set her bowl down and left the camp until she stood in front of a forest near the campsite looking at the starry night sky.

"Your Highness?" Vanessa asked looking at her concerned before Amber stood up.

"Don't worry; I'll talk to her…" Amber said as she walked to her.

* * *

_Eirika stared at the sky as she recalled her past. "Ephraim…"_

* * *

**Flashback – 3 Years Ago**

It was at the courtyard of Renais Castle, and two figures made their way towards the center, armed with wooden swords that were used for training. Both of them were face–to–face with each other in order to begin training. "Are you ready, Eirika?" Ephraim asked his sister as he raised his wooden sword.

"Yes, Ephraim. Let's begin." Eirika said readying her wooden blade. But Ephraim wasn't in his fighting stance. Something was on his mind.

"Tell me, though: why do you want me to teach you to fight? I thought you didn't _care_ for violence…" Ephraim said as Eirika lowered her wooden blade.

"I do not like uncivilized behavior. I can think one can solve one's problems without fighting. And yet…"

"And yet what?" Ephraim prompted.

"I've always relied on you to protect me, Brother. I would rather not be such a burden to you in the future. So, I thought maybe I should learn to protect myself…

"I'm your brother. Brothers are supposed to protect their sisters. It's nothing for you to worry about. It's no cause for concern." The Renais prince argued.

"Yes, but… I am your sister. Sisters are supposed to worry about their brothers." The Renais princess countered. "So I would like to learn something of swordplay, if only a little. And maybe, someday, I can protect you in your time of need… So please, Ephraim."

"All right, all right. How could I say no?" Ephraim chuckled and sighed. "Honestly, once you get an idea into your head, that's it. I might as well give in. It's agreed. I'll teach you, but I won't hold back because you're my sister. And I want no complaining once we've started, Eirika."

"Complain? Me? Never!" Eirika said getting annoyed and irritated as she immediately went after Ephraim with her wooden blade and the two began sparring.

**End** **Flashback**

* * *

_She kept quiet to herself, until she heard a few footsteps. Eirika turned around and saw Amber walking towards her. "Hey, what's_ wrong?_ You haven't taken a bite on your meal…" Amber said worried._

_"Oh, I'm sorry…" Eirika smiled sadly. "I just… have a lot on my mind."_

_"Oh… I see." Amber said looking at her before she raised a question. "Say, what do you think of Kurogasa?"_

_"Huh?!" Eirika blushed._

* * *

"Achoo!" I sneezed out of nowhere. "Whoa, that was weird."

"You okay?" Storm asked.

"I think someone's talking about me…" I replied back.

"Pfft, that's just an urban legend." Akira waved off. I think you might catch a cold big bro…" He added.

"Hmmm…" I pondered.

* * *

_"Amber, why the sudden question?" Eirika asked her while the blush was still on her face._

_"Because he's been helping you, a lot lately. Usually whenever there's a problem involved, he'll try his best to avoid it but when we first arrived here, and I look at his expression, I can tell from just a glance that he's been really worried about you." Amber elaborated._

_"He… has?" Eirika asked._

_"Yep! That's why he's willing to go through all of the trouble to help you than trying to find our way back home." Amber assured her, before she yawned. "Well, I guess we should go back now. The others might be worried about you if you kept staying here any longer." She said to Eirika as the latter agreed. The two were heading back towards the camp, until along the way, a man in a midnight blue cloak bumped towards the two girls, surprising them._

_"Oops! I beg your pardon!" the man apologized before ran off._

_"Hey! Watch where you're going next time!" Amber said annoyed before the two returned back to the campfire._

* * *

"Ahhh…" I sighed patting my stomach. "That's some good stew."

"I _knew_ you'd like it!" Amber said casually before Seth noticed something wrong with Eirika.

"Hm? Your Highness! Where is your bracelet?!" Seth asked Eirika panicking as Storm noticed something too.

"Say, Amber? Where's your necklace?" Storm asked. The necklace that he mentioned was a small, sapphire necklace, a gift he gave to Amber during Valentine's Day and she really treasured it with all of her life.

"Huh? It's right over–" Amber said as she tried to search the necklace around her neck and was shocked when it wasn't there. "EH?! It's gone!"

"My bracelet too…" Eirika said worried before she realized it. "Amber, did that man…"

"Grr! I _knew_ he wouldn't bump into us for no reason!" Amber growled angrily.

"That sneaky bastard…" Storm growled. "When I get my hands on him, I'm gonna–"

"Don't worry, we'll find him!" Seth declared.

"Don't worry about it, Seth. That bracelet was a gift from my father, but Ephraim needs our help. I can't let sentimentality get in the way of my duty." Eirika said.

"_NO_, Princess!" Seth protested rather loudly making all of us jump. "We _MUST_ retrieve your bracelet _REGARDLESS_ of cost! You _CANNOT_ lose it!"

"And I need to get my necklace back too!" Amber added.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, hold it, hold it. First of all, calm down." I said. "Seth, what's so important about the bracelet?" I asked.

"Does it even _matter_? Either way, that thief needs to be taught a lesson about messing with my girlfriend!" Storm growled before he rode on his horse and Amber followed suit.

"Kurogasa, the bracelet is a royal item that _CANNOT_ be lost at _ANY_ cost and His Highness told me to make sure, that bracelet never falls into the wrong hands." Seth added before he rides on his horse.

"Well, I guess we should be searching for it." Vanessa suggested as she rides her Pegasus and soared to the sky for scouting.

"Come, child. Let us follow them for their safety." Father Moulder said to Akira, which he agreed before both of them entered the wagon.

"We should get going too." Garcia said.

"Yeah…" Ross agreed before they entered the wagon.

"If the king told us to help her at any cost, that's what we will do…" Gilliam said firmly before he and Franz also ride on their horses.

"Let's find that thief and gain back Her Highness's belongings…" Franz said, leaving me and Eirika.

"Kurogasa… should we?" Eirika asked hesitantly.

"I… guess, but uh…" I said as I looked around. All of the camp stuff was still lying around. "Can we at _least_ pack up?!"

* * *

Alrighty, that's another chapter down! And Kamen Rider Garren enters the story! So you know what to do people! Review!


	4. Chapter 3: The Bandits of Borgo

Okay guys, it's time for another chapter of Kamen Rider Blade: The Sacred Stones! Hope you enjoy it!

Disclaimer: Same thing.

* * *

Chapter 3: The Bandits of Borgo

For the past couple of days, I, Eirika, and everyone else have been on the thief's trail for a while, and its freakin' ridiculous! I mean, sure I understand Amber's necklace being stolen and all, but what's this about Eirika's bracelet? Seth's been very vague about it too. "Seth, once we retrieve Amber's necklace and Eirika's bracelet, you owe me an explanation on the latter." I told him. Seth could only keep quiet to himself as the group continues to head south. Meanwhile, Amber, Eirika, Akira and Moulder were in the carriage since Amber felt like sitting in there for now.

"Geez, why of all times, would they try to steal our stuff anyways?! Don't you feel angry, Eirika?" Amber asked her.

"W–Well, I _do_ feel a bit angry about it, but…" Eirika trailed off.

"There's no 'but' about it! I bet that bracelet is important to you, since Seth has been acting a bit sterner than usual…" Amber pointed out.

"Big sis, even so, you should calm down for the time being…" Akira tried persuading her.

"Yes, young lady. There's no point if we're rushing for something…" Moulder advised her in a fatherly manner.

"I guess…" Amber sighed. For quite a while, we continued to move until a village can be seen from afar.

"Looks like we've arrived at a village." Franz pointed out.

"A village?! I thought we're going to continue on until we _find_ that bastard!" Storm snapped, only to have his forehead flicked by Gilliam… with his iron gloves on.

"Be quiet for a while, lad. I know you kept talking about that for a while now, but the villagers should be able to provide the information we need to know regarding that thief's description…" Gilliam taught him.

"Well, time to do some investigating then…" I said getting off my horse.

"In the meantime, Eirika and I are going to be at a nearby inn so we can refresh ourselves!" Amber told me as she grabbed her hand and dragged her along.

"A–Amber, please slow down…" Eirika said to her with a sweat drop as they continued to head towards their destination.

"I'll protect them for the time being…" Vanessa said before she follows them as well.

"It seems like there's only us men now… we should split up and ask the villagers about our thief to cover more ground. This way, we could conserve time and be able to share information that we gained. With the information, we can even pinpoint the exact location of their hideouts." Akira suggested, as everyone agreed.

"That's a good idea you have, lad…" Garcia praised him.

"They don't call him the brains for nothing…" Storm told them. It's true. He's a sharp kid and always planning some stuff before he heads out towards the battle. Even back at home, both Storm and I always lose to him in a Ganbaride Card Battle and we rarely won against him since he pulls out a good combo and he always changes his tactics in an instant. And so for that whole morning, we've asked the local villagers regarding our thief, giving them his physical description and what happened last night.

* * *

_"Really? Alright, thank you very much. You've been very helpful." Franz said before he heads off to another villager to gain more information._

* * *

_"You were saying the thief was nearby?" Garcia asked a villager as Ross stays at his side._

_"What does he mean by that?" Ross asked._

* * *

_"And what of our described thief are heading to?" Moulder asked them._

* * *

_"The thief that we described is heading towards somewhere?" Gilliam asked confused._

* * *

_"Hm… thanks for telling me…" Kurogasa pondered for a bit before heading out to regroup with his companions._

* * *

_"I think I get the gist of it… c'mon, Akira. Let's get back to the gang." Storm said to him as he took a bite from a cooked chicken leg before throwing its bone to a nearby bin._

_"Yeah, I think we have all the info we need." Akira nodded._

* * *

By midday, we've all met up at the wagons again, just outside the village where we parked them. "Okay everyone, so what do we got?" I asked. As most of us shared the information we gained, we were surprised to know the villagers said the same thing since their village had also been a target from those bandits.

"Bazba's Bandits, huh? I'm willing to place a bet that these guys have something to do with the ones that attacked our village a few days ago…" Ross concluded.

"There's no doubt about that. That's what they kept saying from their mouths…" Franz added.

"And the one that we're after could be in there as well…" Seth said as he ponders for a bit. "And according to the local villagers, they also tell me that Bazba's Bandits keep their lair nearby." Seth explained. "A few of them saw a lad matching the description of our bracelet thief. It seems a fair guess that the youth is one of these bandits."

"I don't know…" Amber doubted. "That guy was _way_ too subtle to be just a bandit when he stole my necklace and Eirika's bracelet."

"Correct… he must have some other motives that we don't know about…" Eirika added.

"What could it possibly be?" Vanessa asked.

"I do not know…" Franz said as Eirika looked down for a bit.

"Bandits… here in Renais, our homeland. I had no idea…" Eirika said a bit surprised by the fact as she began to recollect some of the memories from her past, "Burning our villages, stealing from our people with no fear of reprisal?"

"Eirika…" Amber said looking at her with a sad expression, which clearly showed that it was painful for Eirika to bear with it.

"Um… excuse me…" A timid, shy voice said. Most of us shifted our attention towards the voice. It was a girl around Ross's age probably, and she has neon–purple hair with a red bandanna on her forehead, wearing purple sleeveless blouse with white pants, brown boots and long yellow sleeves. Behind her back consists of bow and arrows in her disposal. She was a bit shaky for the moment. "Pardon me for asking… but are you all some sort of… mercenary troop?" The girl asked them timidly.

"Mercenary group? I don't think–" Storm tried to reply back before getting an elbow from his girlfriend.

"Just play along!" Amber hissed at him.

"Uh, yes… we are." Akira told her.

"Why do you ask?" Eirika asked as the girl starts to plead for our help.

"P–P–Please, you have to help Colm. You have to! I told him it was too dangerous, but he wouldn't listen to me!" she stuttered while informing us about the situation in a fast manner.

"Please, you must calm yourself. Start at the beginning, and speak slowly…" Eirika said calming the timid girl down as the girl does what she instructed her to do so.

"Kind of reminds us on a certain someone that asked the same way before…" Vanessa said with a smile on her face as she looked at Ross's direction.

"I couldn't help it! The village was in danger and dad was in deep trouble!" Ross pointed out.

"All right…" The girl sniffed. "I'm Neimi. I'm from… I used to be from a village named Lark… Except the village is gone."

"Gone? What do you mean?" Erika asked.

"Bazba's Bandits burned it down." Neimi sniffled. "Only Colm and I escaped. The other villagers… the bandits attacked them and…" I knew what _that _meant.

"I see… I'm sorry for your loss…" I said solemnly.

"Neimi, what are you doing here?" Seth asked.

"Bazba's Bandits… They have a hideout in these mountains." Neimi explained. "That's where Colm… um, Colm's my… uh… we've known each other since we were kids. He went back to steal back something the bandits took from me…"

"Alone?!" I gawked as she nodded. "Man, he's one gutsy guy, but it's kinda stupid for him to charge in like that."

"I agree with you, lad. It takes some courage to do such feat…" Garcia replied back to me.

"And yet, he still ventures on with his mission…" Moulder added.

"Yes, I know. Th–That's what I told him, but he wouldn't listen to me. If I lose Colm, too, I don't know… I… I'll…" Neimi began to tear up once again as Eirika tried to comfort her.

"Wait, please don't cry. Don't worry. We'll find your friend and see that he's not harmed." Eirika assured her, which makes Neimi happy for a bit.

"Yeah, if that someone, really close to you is in danger, we'll help out!" Amber said with a smile on her face, making Neimi even happier.

"Really? Really and truly? Oh, thank you! Thank you!" Neimi chirped up as she hugs both of the girls happily, which they could only reply with a hug as well for Neimi's sake. It was then Neimi remembered something. "I… I don't have much money, but… I'll do anything to help."

"Your Highness? What will it be?" Seth asked.

"You said the thief has gone to the bandit's lair." Erika replied. "We share a common cause with Neimi. She _is_ a citizen of Renais, after all. It's our duty to defend our countrymen. I'm only sad we weren't here to protect her friends and neighbors…"

"Like I said, just do what you can." I said. "So Neimi, can you show us where the bandit's lair is?" I asked.

"Er, yes… it's this way." Neimi pointed out the direction as the group set off to their destination.

"At least she knows where we're heading…" Amber said with a sigh of relief.

* * *

_Along the way, Seth and Franz began to discuss about something as they kept it to themselves. "Franz. How are you holding up?" Seth asked the recruit._

_"Fine. I may be young, but I'm every bit a Knight of Renais. I'll fight to the end to protect the princess, just like you, sir!" Franz chirped up, making a smile on Seth's face appears._

_"Good, good! That's the spirit! You know, you're looking much improved from when we set out." Seth pointed out._

_"Do you really think so, General?" Franz asked him._

_"Oh definitely. You seem much surer of yourself. All doubt has left your face. By the time you reach my age, you'll be the finest spear and swordsman around." Seth praised him, which makes Franz a bit happy._

_"Honestly? Sir, do you really believe that?"_

_"…I do… but we are in a battle right now, Franz. Concentrate on the enemies before you, and don't get too cocky." Seth reminded him._

_"Yes, sir! You know I'd never let you down, sir!"_

_"Don't be too eager for success. Know your limits." Seth told him._

_"Yes sir!"_

* * *

_Meanwhile Gilliam and Moulder are having a conversation of their own at the end of the wagon and Gilliam stays close to the wagon as Moulder began to wander off about something. "Gilliam, did you hear something?" Moulder asked him, which makes Gilliam's eyebrow raise a bit._

_"No Moulder. I didn't hear a thing." he replied back, which makes Moulder ponder for a bit._

_"Was it just in my head? Hm… That can't be good."_

_"Moulder, you've been working yourself too hard. You should rest." Gilliam reminded his friend._

_"No, I'm not tired in the slightest. I'm fine. I cannot believe you don't hear it! Is something wrong with your ears?" Moulder asked, which made Gilliam let out a sigh._

_"Moulder, please. I know I've seen many battles, but I'm younger than you are. My hearing is fine." he told him._

_"Then why can't you hear it? I'm starting to worry about that noise."_

_"Your ears are playing tricks on you." Gilliam concluded as the journey continued on._

* * *

Amber and Akira took a nap for a bit as Father Moulder discussed something regarding the matter while Neimi was on Vanessa's Pegasus to lead the way while Garcia and Ross discussed about how to improve in a battle. And as for Eirika, well, she's sitting next to me for now. "I wonder how long we would get there." Eirika wondered.

"Who knows…?" I answered. It was silent for a while until I spoke up. "By the way, how are you holding up?"

"Huh? What do you mean?" Eirika asked.

"I mean, how are you holding up after your father's death? Are you… okay now?"

Eirika was a bit silent as she bit her lip for a bit before she replied back with a normal tone. "Even though it's still painful to think about, I guess I'm fine. The pain will eventually be gone before I know it…" She replied as she looks at me. "And yourself, Kurogasa? What of your family in your world?"

"They…" I began, but I was hesitant to answer her. Should I tell her though?

"What?" Eirika asked.

"They… died when I was young…" I said solemnly.

"Oh my…" Eirika gasped as she covered her mouth in surprise. "I'm… sorry for your loss… I didn't know..." she stuttered for a bit.

"It's okay, don't worry about it." I waved off. And just like that, both of us went silent once again. It took a while for us to continue the conversation as she looked at me with a worried look on her face.

"Then… with whom did you live with since then? And… are you happy as it is right now?" Eirika asked me in order not to hurt my feelings.

"I lived by myself. Well, I was adopted before I was old enough to live by myself. And… I'll admit I'm not happy as it is, but I have Storm, Amber, and Akira. They've been like family to me ever since my parents died." I smiled a bit. "I guess _that_ in a sense makes up for it."

Eirika had a smile on her face after listened to my tale. "It does make sense, Kurogasa…" She told me before the wagon suddenly hit a bump and I wasn't expecting what happened next.

"Hey, Eirika… are you ok?"

"I'm fine…" Eirika said as she slowly pushed herself and both of noticed one thing… she was on top of me and both of our gazes met for a moment before she immediately sat back and looked away with a slight blush on her face. "F–Forgive me about that, Kurogasa…"

"It's… alright…" I got out as I sat up as well.

"That was some bump…" Ross said to his dad.

"Yeah, it makes sense to make us tumble for a bit…" Garcia added as they continue where they have left off.

"Ugh… I think my head hurt from that sudden bump earlier…" Akira groaned after his head accidentally hit a rod behind him.

"Yeah… I agree with ya." Amber said before she shifted her attention to us and judging by her face, she's gonna tease me again. "Looks like something just happened while we're asleep, right?"

"H–Huh?! What are you talking about? Nothing happened just now!" Eirika tried to deny while the blush was still on her face.

"You may say so, but your expression said otherwise!" Amber grinned.

"Nothing happened, alright?" I sighed.

"Okay… if you say so…" Amber shrugged before she went back to sleep as Akira lie his head on her lap as both of them dozed back to dreamland.

"Honestly… does she always act like this around you, Kurogasa?" Eirika asked me with a sigh.

"You have no idea…" I answered.

* * *

After a while, we have reached the place where Neimi guided, an old fortress. We had to travel on foot to get there since carrying our supplies along with us could be trouble, as Amber guarded the wagons, much to her dismay. Seth tried to open the door but noticed the door was locked. "It figures… the doors are locked. With no keys and no thief to pick the locks, we're stuck outside." Seth pointed out.

"I see. We're at impasse then, aren't we?" Eirika said in a low tone.

"Actually, no, look at _that_." Akira said pointing at something. We all turned towards to where he was pointing and there was a crack in the wall. "See that crack in the wall? I bet if we bang it with enough power, we can break it down with ease and go in easily." Akira pointed out.

"Nice work, Akira, leave that to me." I said putting in the Change Ace card in the Blay Buckle and looked at Neimi. "Neimi, I'm warning you right now, don't panic." I then put the Blay Buckle on my waist and a deck of cards wrapped around my waist, until a clicking noise was heard followed by a pulsing sound making Neimi look in curiosity. "Henshin!" I pulled the lever to reveal the spade.

**TURN UP**

A blue rectangle appears in front of me as it slowly came to me, ending up getting into my armor… and boy was she about to scream her head off. I don't blame her for that. "Shh! Keep your tone down if you do not want to attract more trouble…" Vanessa covers her mouth as Neimi slowly nodded in agreement as she lets go of her mouth. I flipped my Blay Rouzer upside down and fanned out my deck of cards. I took one of the cards out and roused it on my Rouzer.

**TACKLE**

A hologram of Tackle Boar appeared right behind me, as Neimi was getting a shock from looking at it before it entered my body. I felt like I'm going for a rush on that wall. "It's ramming time!" I declared before I rushed towards the wall and much to everyone's surprise, minus Storm and Akira, the tackle I made was enough to make a path to enter.

"W–What _is_ he!?" Neimi asked both Storm and Akira as they took out their belts as well and a pulsing sound was heard from it.

"Oh, _him_? He's a good guy, for sure!" Both of them said in unison before they were getting into a stance. "Henshin!"

**TURN/OPEN UP**

Two more rectangles appeared right in front her as Storm and Akira now became Lance and Garren, and she _almost_ fainted until Vanessa caught her. "Now is not the time to faint, Neimi. We must rescue your friend." Moulder reminded her.

"And get Princess Eirika's bracelet back!" Seth continued.

"Not to mention my girlfriend's necklace as well!" Lance declared before all of us charged in.

* * *

_The leader of the thieves noticed something was wrong. "Huh? Don't know who it is, but it looks like we got guests. Let's give 'em a warm welcome, lads! Remember to use your axes to chop their heads off! Now, get out there and cut 'em up!" the Boss commanded them as a group of bandits starts moving towards the source of the noise._

* * *

"Alright, Eirika, Lance, Garren, Seth and I will be heading out this way to the leader's room. Moulder, Vanessa and Franz, accompany Neimi to find her friend. As for Gilliam, Ross and Garcia, just be sure to not let a single bandits get out of here." I commanded them.

"Remember, the priority is getting our items back, save her friend, and take out the leader of this group." Garren reminded everyone.

"At once!" Vanessa said as her group began to move at the opposite hall with her lance in hand.

"Alright, my boy, let's show these fools how to wield an axe properly!" Garcia told his son, as he also prepared his hatchet in hand.

"You got it, dad!" Ross added.

"You better not get yourselves killed…" Gilliam warned them.

* * *

_Somewhere nearby, a man with short blue hair, wearing brown shirt with gray pants and brown boots, wearing a torn up blue cape wielding a dagger on one hand was sneaking around the area as he looked at one side to another. "And here we go! Ha! And not a soul saw me. These bandits are easy picking. I guess I might as well start with these chests here." He impressed himself as he started to walk around quietly as the battle continued on. As he reaches for a door, he took out his lock pick items from his pouch and carefully did his work until a 'click' can be heard from it. "And I've hit the jackpot!" he said to himself before he opens the door and realized there are five bandits waiting behind the door. "Oh, crap…" He began to take a step back before an arrow passed by next to him and hits the enemy at the shoulder, causing him to drop his axe for a moment. When he turned around, he noticed among a group of three, a familiar girl was on his sight._

_"Neimi?!" he was surprised for a moment._

_"C–Colm…" She let out softly._

_"Neimi? What are you doing here?!" Colm shouted out, glaring at the girl. "I told you to wait for me, didn't I? And who are these people?!"_

_"I've brought help. I couldn't… It's too dangerous." Neimi whined, walking over to him. "C'mon, let's go home."_

_"We don't have a home!" Colm exclaimed. "Don't you get it? Look, just leave everything to me. I can take care of it in a flash, but I don't need a clumsy oaf like you tagging along."_

_"But… but…" Neimi stuttered._

_"Oh, this is ridiculous." Colm sighed. "We'll talk later. Don't leave my side, Neimi."_

_"I– All right."_

_"So, he must be Colm that she has mentioned…" Vanessa pointed out before she noticed an axe was thrown at their direction. "Look out!" They noticed it as Colm immediately pushed Neimi aside and got his shoulder wounded from the throw. Vanessa retaliated by throwing her javelin back to the bandit, killing him instantly._

_"C–Colm!" Neimi stuttered as he just gritted in pain._

_"Stay calm, young man. Let me heal you up." Moulder said as he heals him with his staff._

_"I wonder if the others are doing alright…" Vanessa pondered before she began to twirl her lance at the charging bandits._

* * *

Meanwhile, in Gilliam's group…

_"Take this!" Ross yelled as he swung his hatchet and managed to hack at a bandit. Garcia noticed his son's determination before he threw swings his axe onto the next bandit. Gilliam threw his lance with great accurate onto his target before he pulls it back towards his direction. As the battle calms down with the defeat of the bandits, Ross approaches to Garcia as he asked him a question that he kept on his mind. "Say, dad. What was Mom like?" Ross asked him, making Garcia surprised._

_"Your mother… well… where do I start? In many ways, she was very similar to Princess Eirika." he told him._

_"Princess Eirika?"_

_"Yes, she was gentle, but also very strong. She could share others' pain." Garcia told his son, which makes him ponder for a bit._

_"I see."_

_"What's wrong? Did you miss your mother?" his father asked him._

_"I was just thinking… When was the last time we visited her grave? Not since we left the village and started this journey… It's been so long. She must be lonely…"_

_"Ross…"_

_"When the bandits attacked the village, we had to leave. But Mom's grave is still there." Ross pointed out making Garcia looked down for a bit._

_"Yes."_

_"Dad…" Ross said looking at him with a concern look, until Garcia came up to a conclusion._

_"Ross. Let's go home when this war is over. To the village where Risa rests." Garcia started talking while looking at his son. "We can rebuild the village again, just the two of us. After all, that's where we belong… You, me, and… your mother."_

_"Yes! All right. But I'll have to be a lot stronger to help with that." Ross said as Gilliam began to arm them again._

_"Heads up." Garcia warned as another batch of bandits appeared at them._

_"And why don't we start out with those guys?" Ross suggested as Garcia nodded in agreement as both of them charged at the bandits with war cries._

* * *

**BURNING SHOT**

"Take this!" Garren shouted as he went trigger happy onto the approaching enemy from the back and they were being pushed to the back by the rapid fire of flame bullets on their axes as Seth continued to guard the sides.

**SPINNING WAVE**

Lance's Rouzer declared as the holograms of Tornado Hawk and Chop Head entered his body. With a big chop from his arm towards the two bandits, they were pushed back and caused them to drop their axes from their hands. Seeing the opportunity, Eirika quickly stabs their chest where their heart was to end their demise.

**SLASH**

I roused my card to let Slash Lizard enters into my Blay Rouzer. In an instant, my blade has become one of the sharpest weapons ever and the three bandits spotted me. "Get him!" One of them shouted as they made their way towards me with an axe on their hand.

"Better protect myself with this." I said rousing another card.

**METAL**

My Blay Rouzer declared as Metal Trilobite entered my armor and in an instant, my whole body becomes metal. When they tried to cleave me with their axes simultaneously, their edges suddenly chipped off, much to their surprise. Once my body returned to normal, I immediately slashed their axes before taking them out with a slash on my own, killing one of them as the other two scrambled out for their lives, only to have them met their demise under Eirika's rapier and Seth's sword on their chest.

"Well, that's the last of them for now…" I told him as Lance and Garren went to my side.

"So, how much AP, do you two have left?" Lance asked me.

"2800…" Garren informed first.

"2600…" I told him, which I can tell what's he going to say next.

"I'm still… limitless." Lance chirped up, which I was annoyed at. His Rouzer doesn't apply any AP.

"Kurogasa… what are you talking about?" Eirika asked me.

"Huh? Oh, I'm talking about AP. Ability points." I explained. "You see, every time I rouse a card, I have to pay a cost."

"Ability Points? Cost?" Eirika asked in a confused tone.

"Think of it like a mage's magic as well. As you cast a spell, you use your Mana. It's the same principal as that, Eirika!" Akira said making it simple for her to understand.

"Should we greet the leader and warn him?" Seth asked me.

"Let's." I smugly grinned behind my mask. As we went deeper into the hallway, we eventually reached at the end as we saw ahead of us, a man with brown messy hair while combed to the back with short beard, wearing a tattered grey shirt with magenta vest and tattered dark blue pants with black boots, sitting on his throne as if he was expecting us. His great axe is at his side of his throne.

"I've been expecting you all…" The man said with a smug on his face.

"So, you must be the leader of the pack, Bazba…" Seth commented as Bazba sets his gaze upon Eirika.

"Oh? What do we have here? A pretty lady went straight towards the lion's den? …or should I say the Princess of Renais?" Bazba added with a smirk on his face.

"You…" I growled.

"For the sake of the villages that you have robbed, I must stop you from your advance!" Eirika told Bazba as he just laughs out loud.

"What a nice thing for you to say, don't you think? Why don't you try hurting me with your puny sword while you're at it?" Bazba mocked, causing Eirika to draw out her rapier.

"Calm yourself, Eirika. He just wants to get a rise out of you." I warned.

"Five of you against one of me wouldn't be fair, now would it? I might as well even it up…" Bazba said as two axe bandits and two mercenaries appeared from his back of the room behind his throne as they have that smirk on their faces. When I looked behind us, another two bandits and mercenaries appeared as well. We were surrounded.

"That's what you call fair?!" Eirika said in anger.

"Of course. Eight of them with one of me, against just the two of you and… whatever the three of you dolts supposed to be…" he said as he stood up from his throne and carried his great axe with him, resting on his shoulder. "I'm the head of this bandit pack, the mighty Bazba! Hope you've enjoyed your life, 'cuz it's about to end!" He declared.

"No, it's _yours_ that's gonna end!" I shouted.

"You and I are going to cross blade and axe, you strange warrior! The rest of you, go attack the others! Bring me their heads!" Bazba shouted with all of his might as the ones that surrounded us began to make a move as we were preparing ourselves for battle.

"Lance and I will take care of the ones with swords. Seth, you and Eirika will take care of the axes since your blades are faster than their axes." Garren commanded as they began to do their respective posts. Meanwhile, I had a little showdown with the leader himself.

"Die!" Bazba yelled as he swung his axe. I used my Blay Rouzer to defend myself and I can actually feel the strength that he put into that one swing alone, but that doesn't mean I can't take it at all. I pushed him back for a before making a dash towards him.

While I tried to defend myself from him, Seth and Eirika didn't seem to have much trouble despite the number disadvantage we're in. Eirika kept sidestepping from both of the swings of those bandits' axes for a reason. After a while, their speed began to slow down, which she took the chance by quickly fencing her rapier onto their faces, mainly their eyes, making them screamed in pain before she stabbed one of them on the throat. While she does so, she pulled out her rapier back and the bandit that was about swing his axe, she immediately kicked him where the sun don't shine, causing him to cease his attack in an instant before finishing him off by stabbing him at his stomach, killing him off. Meanwhile, Seth had a hard time with the other two bandits as one of them swung his axe at him while the other one throws his axe onto him, causing him to immediate defend from both attacks at the same time. "Their teamwork is something else…" Seth implied before he prepared his stance once again with his sword.

Using his experience from his training and war, he tried to read the pattern of the two attacks that he had to take note and soon enough, he can clearly see how it does so. Whenever the attacking bandit attacks him a few times, as he raised his axe high, that was the time where the throwing bandit throws his hand axe at him. Using this advantage, when the bandit raises his axe high, he immediately runs towards the attacking bandit and slides between his legs, causing the bandit to be confused as the throwing bandit already threw his hand axe. Seth immediately stood up and stabbed the attacking bandit on his exposed back, killing him in an instant before he took his axe and throws it at the weaponless bandit. Though the bandit manages to avoid the axe, he can't avoid Seth's sword that stabbed him at the chest, killing him immediately. "You may have a great pattern, but after a while, it became quite obvious and you have left much more space for me to attack you…" Seth said before he walks towards Eirika's direction.

Lance kept his defense using his Lance Rouzer against the two mercenaries as he tried to push them back as all of a sudden, one of them leaped high and perform a somersault before crashing his sword onto his helmet, making him take a few steps back before getting more damage onto his armor. "Darn it! These guys are good!" Lance said to himself before he took out a card from his side deck and roused it onto his Rouzer for activation.

**MIGHTY**

A hologram of Mighty Impact appears behind him as Lance absorbed it on his Rouzer, causing it to make the blade of it sharp in an instant with ooze of venom flowing out from it. When he tried to do his first swing on them, one of the mercenaries tried to hold his parry but when he did so, a small goop of black ooze coming out from his Lance Rouzer splashed onto the enemy's face, mainly on his eyes and mouth, causing him to take a few steps back. Lance then immediately thrusted his Rouzer forward to the other mercenary, which he managed to dodge with only a slight cut on his sides. Feeling happy about it, Lance stood there while looking at the mercenaries for a moment. Seeing their chance, both of the mercenaries lunged forward but just before they reached him, they suddenly collapse onto the ground with a few of them puking off blood and their skin was also changing colors before eventually, they were killed by the poison. "That takes care of those mercenaries." Lance said to himself before he looks back and saw Garren have no trouble at all.

**UPPER**

**FIRE**

Two cards that are roused by Garren appeared at his back as the holograms of the Upper Frog and Fire Fly were seen behind him before it was absorbed into his armor. Garren clenched his fist tightly before he was able to dodge one of the vertical slashes from the enemy by sidestepping. Stepping on the mercenary's foot, he immediately unleashed a strong flaming uppercut onto the mercenary's jaw, causing him to not only to put him out, but due to Garren's foot stepping on his foot, a loud crack was heard on his neck, causing him to slump down in an instant. Seeing the destructive power of Garren, the other mercenary tried to make a getaway, but not before Garren unleashes a few shots on his back, causing him to drop dead. "Alright! I did it, and with a few AP Points to spare!" Garren chirped up.

My battle with Bazba on the other hand was something else. Even though axes have slower rating in terms of swings than swords, the way he wield it was as if it was made of nothing, as he could keep up with my speed. He grabbed me by the neck before delivering one of his head butts on my helmet, which I could actually feel, before he pushed me forward and delivered an uppercut with his great axe, causing a large spark appears on my chest before I tumble a few times.

"Kurogasa!" Eirika said concerned as she ran towards my side to check my condition as Bazba laughed.

"And I thought I would get myself a good challenge! I'm not breaking into a sweat, strange warrior!" Bazba mocked me as he rested his great axe on his shoulders.

"You haven't seen anything yet…" I growled and then looked towards Eirika who had a concerned look on my face. "Don't worry, I'm alright, this armor can take the abuse." Eirika was still concerned as I slowly stood up and wielded my Blay Rouzer once again, with a mark from the earlier slash on my armor.

"You're still going at it, strange warrior? _Now_, this is getting interesting!" Bazba claimed before both of us ran towards the middle and our blade and axe collided in the middle and we kept exchanging the blows as sparks kept appearing on between clashes. While Eirika kept worrying about me, Garren walked to her side with the company of Seth and Lance.

"Big sis, are you worried about big bro?" Garren asked her.

"Even though he is in that armor, he can still actually feel pain…" Eirika said in a worried tone.

"Oh, don't worry about Blade. When it comes to will and determination, he will trump over all of the obstacles with a swing of his blade." Lance assured her.

"What do you mean by _that_?"

"Just watch, Your Highness…" Seth told her as she kept a worried look on her face. We kept exchanging blows until I manage to return the slash onto his chest, causing both of us to take a step back. He checked onto his cut on his chest and he laughs about it.

"Now, that's more like it!" Bazba claimed.

"Say, big bro! Need help?" Garren asked me.

**BLIZZARD**

We heard the announcement of that as out of nowhere, a burst of snow appeared and froze Bazba's legs rendering immobilized and unable to move. "What the–! I can't move!" Bazba growled. We all turned around to see…

"Larc?!" Everyone said surprised.

"Well, I couldn't just stay and let you guys have _all_ the fun!" Larc huffed.

"Got bored of waiting, huh?" I chuckled.

"Well, duh! At least the caravan was saved after I shot a few bandits that tried to steal some stuff away and Gilliam's group will take care of that!" Larc added before she looks at the damage that I had. "And I can't believe you let him leave a mark on your armor!"

"Big sis now's not the time…" Garren replied with a sweat drop.

"Grr… this blasted ice!" Bazba complained as he tried to chip off the ice that covered the lower part of his body.

"Don't just stand there! Finish him off!" Larc ordered.

"Alright, alright, sheesh…" I said as I opened up the fan of cards and roused them.

**KICK**

**THUNDER**

Two holograms of the Kick Locust and Thunder Deer appeared behind me as I absorbed them into my armor. Stabbing the Rouzer into the ground, I immediately jumped high to the sky before delivering the kick directly onto his chest, as he was too busy chipping off the ice. Instead of a normal tumble to the back, since the lower part of his body was still chilled, the upper part of his body was separated from it, causing to only the upper part to fling towards his throne as the fountain of blood made a display at the lower part of his body, which caused Eirika to cover her face onto Seth because of the gory blood she witnessed. "I'm the… mighty… Bazba… This… ain't–" Bazba couldn't finish his words as be suddenly kept silent and stayed that way for good.

"Well… that was… scary…" Lance said before Larc also covered her face onto her boyfriend's chest due to her hemophobia. A little blood is fine with her, but if she saw a pool of blood, man, she'd be shaking way too much…

"Big bro, you can be pretty scary sometimes…" Garren told me.

"Sorry…" I muttered as I pulled the lever to reveal ace card and reverted back to normal. "Fatality…" I kinda half–joked.

"You should add 'Flawless Victory' while you're at it…" Storm added as he, Amber, and Akira reverted back to normal.

* * *

_As Kurogasa's group heading their way back to the caravan, after Moulder gave the Last Rites to the dead and burning the bodies by burning the entire fortress, Seth then walked towards the direction where Neimi and Colm are having a conversation after being saved by Vanessa and Moulder. __"C–Colm…" Neimi called his name in a worried tone, which annoyed him._

_"What now? I told you not to worry. I could've robbed these bandits blind on my own, thank you very much." Ross claimed._

_"I was… worried…" Neimi whined as she began to tear up._

_"H–Hold on! I'm sorry! C'mon! Don't start bawling!" Colm said frantic for a moment trying to calm Neimi down._

_"No more… dangerous stuff… by yourself…" Neimi stuttered for a bit as she wipes off her tears._

_"Fine, fine! I promise! But, you have to stop crying all the time, all right?"_

_"Uh–huh…" Neimi nodded in agreement before a smile appeared on her face once again._

_Colm remembered something as he took out from his pouch a small mirror and shows it to her. "Oh, yeah! Take a look at this!"_

_"Hm?" Neimi got closer to see what he was showing her and she was ecstatic when saw the mirror._

_"I got your mirror back. Remember how you cried when we left Lark? You thought you'd lost this. I knew it was your mother's and I knew those thugs had taken it. So I went and got it back! See what happens when you give me a job? Guaranteed results!"_

_"Colm…" Neimi said softly, sniffling a bit before hugging her friend tightly, burying her face to his chest bawling. "Colm… Wahhhhh!"_

_"Hey!" Colm cried out. "Wh–Why are you crying_ this_ time? C'mon! Stop!" Colm called out, waving his arms about. "Knock it off! Please, Neimi…"_

_At that point Amber noticed something about Colm and realized who it was. "YOU!"_

_"Eh? Me?" Colm asked as he pointed to himself._

_"Yeah, you! You really think that I'd forget about what you did last night?!" Amber said angry._

_"…I know that this is quite touching, but… I think you'd best return Princess Eirika's bracelet and Amber's necklace to them now." Seth warned him._

_Colm was frantic for a moment as he immediately rushes to his side and glared at him, "Wh–What are you talking about? Are you trying to say that I–" In an instant, Amber immediately puts him under a submission lock which Colm surrendered immediately. "Whoa! Whoa there! Hold it! It's right here! Take it!"_

_"C–Colm? You…" Neimi began as she started to tear up. "You…_ stole_ from these people?"_

_"A–Ah! Wait, wait, Neimi! I can explain!" Colm panicked for a moment as Amber puts back on her necklace and Seth took back the bracelet from Colm's pouch._

_"Hmph! Next time, never mess with me!" Amber warned him before heading back to the group._

_Seth inspected the bracelet for a bit to make sure nothing is missing from it before putting it away. "Tell me, boy, is this the path you've chosen for your life? If this girl matters to you, you must quit this dark road," Seth advised him as Colm put a thought in it for a moment._

_"Uh, yeah… right." Colm scratched the back of his head before Seth turned around._

_"We're leaving. Do not expect to be rescued again. Farewell." Seth warned him as he walked away out from them. It was then Colm began to change his mind._

_"…Hey, wait! Let us go with you! You can't just leave us here!"_

_"Pardon?" Seth asked as he turned back around to the two._

_"Neimi and I… we've got no home to return to. No matter where we go, there's just gonna be more fighting. You're mercenaries, right? Well then, take us with you! I'm a handy guy to have around! I know I can help you out!" Colm proposed._

_"I would prefer not, but I'll agree with Eirika's decision. Our duty is a grave one, however. We've no time to waste shepherding you," Seth warned him._

_"That's fine with us. You just wait– I promise you won't regret your decision!" Colm told him with a smile on his face._

_"Very well… I'm sure you'll be a good help, just as long as you don't steal away any of our valuables…" Seth added as Colm nodded in an instant._

* * *

It was soon night time and we had to camp out again. Seth and Gilliam were on watch while the newest additions to our team Colm and Neimi, sat with Franz, Moulder, Vanessa, Storm, Amber, and Akira gathered at the campfire eating. Eirika and I were resting inside a tent. "I'm glad that it is over." Eirika sighed in relief.

"Yeah, we managed to get rid of the bandit problem." I said. "Now that Bazba's Bandits are no more, there won't be any more bandits terrorizing this area." I then stretched my body to let loose, but then my chest suddenly hurt. "Ow, ow, ow…"

"Are you okay?" Eirika asked a bit worried.

"Yeah… I'm still kinda aching though from Bazba's axe when it hit my armor." I cringed as I placed my hand under my armor and rubbed my chest to try and ease the pain. "That guy can bring down the axe hard… ow."

"I warned you to be careful…" Eirika said to me as she took out a Vulnerary and slowly handed it to me. "Here, apply this to your chest to ease the pain. Father Moulder prepared it for us just in case we are out of his reach…" she said to me worriedly.

"Thanks…" I said then tried to reach for it, but then recoiled back as the pain stopped me from doing so. "Ow! Man, he _really_ swung down hard."

Eirika was getting more worried as she decided to do one thing for me. "Kurogasa let me take off your armor and I'll apply it for you…" She said to me as she slowly removes my armor and taking off my shirt. She was a bit embarrassed to see my lean body, six–pack by the way, and there was a red rash on it due to the slash I had taken from Bazba.

"What's wrong?" I asked her, which snapped her out of her thoughts for a bit.

"I–It's nothing…" Eirika said with a slight blush before she used the Vulnerary and applied it onto my chest as she slowly rubbed it to make sure I don't get the sudden pain.

"Ergh…" I hissed wincing at the pain.

"Are you okay?" Eirika asked.

"I'm alright… keep going…" I said. Eirika slowly nodded before she applied some more of it as the pain slowly reduced, due to the Vulnerary taking effect.

"Hey, you two, your meal's–" Storm called barging in the tent, surprising her and myself at the same time. "Am I missing something here?" He asked me confused.

"Oh… it's just you, Storm… I thought it was another enemy…" Eirika let out a sigh of relief as Storm continued to look at me with a confused look.

"Man, that's one red rash you got there, buddy." Storm said to me.

"Yeah, if it wasn't for my armor, I would've gotten myself a deep cut instead…" I told him while putting my shirt back on, which he shrugged off at.

"Oh, by the way, Amber told me to tell you that next time, if you want to do a blood festival on someone, be sure to warn her so that she doesn't see it… it still scared the heck out of her, y'know?" Storm reminded me.

"I said I was sorry…" I sighed. "I didn't mean for her hemophobia to act up. It just happened."

"Well, she's calmed down right now and acted like her usual self again. Just… be sure to look around your surroundings next time." Storm advised me before he leaves the tent, leaving the two of us alone once again.

"Kurogasa, what he said is true. Even I was surprised by the sudden move you've made earlier…" Eirika told me.

"I said it just happened…" I sighed wearily.

"Do not worry, I understand." Eirika said with a smile on her face before she takes a look on her bracelet. "You know, Father gave me this bracelet when I was a child. It has only one match in the world, and my brother wears it."

"Really?" I asked which she nodded.

"Yes, Seth said to never lose this bracelet once again. It is proof that Father has entrusted the future of Renais to us, his children…" She said as she began to tear up a bit after telling the tale to me.

"Eirika…"

"Seth told me this is just the beginning… if we hope to free our homeland, it will take battle after battle…" She continued as she tried her best to hold in her tears, "He also said to me the day my brother and I win back the freedom and honor of Renais will come, but it will be at the end of a long and treacherous road… all I ever wanted is peace in our kingdom and no violence between the countries, and yet, it still happens…" She added as a tear slowly flows down her cheek as her body was shaking for a bit to hold in those tears of hers. I did the only thing I could do for her. And what was to slowly wrap my arms around the Princess holding her close. Eirika gasped in surprise at my action. "Wh–What are you…" Eirika began.

"Let it out…" I told her softly. "Just let it out. I won't judge…"

"Kurogasa…" Eirika said in a low tone before she sobbed silently as I continued to comfort her.

"I promise you this… we'll end this war and regain peace once again…" I vowed to her as she continued to cry throughout the night.

* * *

_At Grado Keep, Selena began to confront with two generals at the castle. One of them was an old man with grey hair and beard, wearing red armor with silver linings, brown shirt underneath his armor, brown pants, boots and gloves. As for the other one has short blonde hair tan skin with brown light armor and brown trench coat, white pants and brown greaves and gloves. Both of them are named Duessel the Obsidian and Glen the Sunstone respectively._

_"General Duessel." Selena began to speak._

_"Selena. Have you been back long? Tell me, how fares the campaign in Renais?" Duessel asked her._

_"Signs of chaos abound. Brigands ride without fear, and the peasants' cries fill the air," Selena informed him._

_"Hmm… if Grado's troops do not enforce public order, the situation will only worsen. And still, His Majesty has given us no orders. Perhaps, just this once, I should take the lead…" The general concluded as Glen began to put his two cents in._

_"What could His Majesty be thinking? Breaking our long–held alliance with Renais invading without warning… he's never been this way before. He abhors violence." Glen suspected as Selena kept thinking on it as he continued, "And have you noticed the recent promotions? Who they are going to? Certainly not to the soldiers who have Grado's best interest at heart. I fear this invasion is the prelude to a much larger war. I feel as though His Majesty is no longer the man we knew him to be."_

_"Glen, it doesn't matter what any of us might think of our orders." Selena replied. "We are his servants, and we will not question His Majesty's intentions."_

_"I know that Selena." Glen said. "And yet…"_

_"That's enough; both of you." Duessel commanded. "His Majesty summons us. Let's hope we can learn a little during our audience."_

* * *

_At the Throne Room, an old king with an emotionless expression on his face, with long grey hair and a short beard, with golden armor and long brown robe that covers his body entirely, sits on the throne as he began to deliver his speech to his loyal subjects. "…I appreciate your work in fulfilling your previous orders. You are the hammers that drive the nails of the empire's will… you will continue to operate… without hesitation… wherever I send you."_

_"By your command." Duessel pledged._

_"In Your Majesty's name." Serena followed suit._

_"Yes, sire…" Glen lastly said._

_"…However, I know this…" The emperor continued, "You, my Imperial Three, lack the strength to conquer the remaining nations alone. In the invasion of Renais, certain soldiers performed beyond expectation. I have chosen them to join you as new generals in the empire's service. …Come." The throne room doors opened to allow three men to walk in. "…The performance of these men surpassed even your own. With the addition of these three… The empire will have six generals strong enough to conquer this land. Do you understand?"_

_"Heh, heh, heh…" an old man in his 60's with magenta hair and his sinister look, donned in his black with red robe down the middle with white cape behind him, chuckled for a bit before he bows onto the king. "I am Riev, given the name Blood Beryl by His Majesty. I know I am a newcomer, but I pray for your favor." He introduced himself._

_"…Understood." Duessel acknowledged him._

_"I'm Caellach. I was a mercenary, fighting in the desert. Seems I'm to be called Tiger Eye…" A man with brown hair that was combed to the back, with a sinister look on his face, wearing blue shirt with pads on his shoulders and arms, grey pants with brown boots and greaves, introduced himself. He has an axe on his back as he bows to the king before fixing his eyes on a certain someone, particularly Serena. "You're a fine–lookin' lass, aren't you? Yeah, I'm gonna love working with you." Her only response was a silent glare at him._

_At this time, a knight with long flowing teal hair with his sinister look on his face, donned with maroon armor with gold linings on his black shirt and pants, greaves and gloves, appears as well with his spear on his back. He bows down to the king before introducing himself to his fellow generals. "So, we meet again! You know me as General Valter, but you will call me the Moonstone. I'll save your worthless dogs from your own incompetence! You'll thank me later…" Valter sneered; Glen tried to control his temper onto him due to the presence of the king._

_"Valter, you scum!" Glen shouted before being stopped by Duessel._

_"Peace, Glen." Duessel said before things got out of hand._

_"Selena. Caellach." Vigarde continued. "You will bring me Frelia."_

_"Yes, sire." Selena said._

_"Sure." Caellach chuckled. "Good as done."_

_"Riev. Duessel. You are charged with the defense of the empire. …I will speak to you individually with more details later."_

_"Heh heh heh…" Riev let out. "Understood, Your Majesty."_

_"By your command, sire." Duessel added._

_"And me?" Valter asked, a grin forming on his face._

_"Valter, Glen… I have other duties for you…" Vigarde replied._

_"Yes, Your Majesty?" Glen asked._

_"Renais has fallen, but Princess Eirika still eludes us…" Vigarde spoke. "Her brother, Prince Ephraim, leads a resistance within our borders. Bring the siblings to me."_

_"Ha ha… Of course…" Valter chuckled with a smirk, Glen offering no response._

_"And also, there is one more thing."_

_"Yes, Your Highness?" Duessel said as the six Generals paid attention to the king._

_"I have heard a rumor about Princess Eirika's group that they have the assistance of four people with strange abilities and have strange ancient magic at their disposal." The king informed them._

_"An ancient magic?" Riev pondered._

_"Hah, such magic won't scare me!" Caellach scoffed._

_"Yes, but their fighting skill are prowess…" Valter intervened. "One of our troops that survived from the battle has told us about them. They said something about having demonic powers at their disposal…"_

_"Demonic powers?" the word piqued Vigarde's curiosity. "Very well. I would like to inquire of what these powers do. Valter, I shall give you the task to find these strange warriors, and testing them. Do not kill them. I want a full report on this. I need to know what we are dealing with."_

_"As the King commands…" Valter bowed to him before the six Generals head out from the throne room, leaving the king all alone in his throne._

_"Soon… all of the nations will be under my control… and I shall gain these demonic powers for myself…" The king said to himself._

* * *

And there you are people! That's another chapter down in all of its foreshadow glory… somewhat, but nonetheless still good! So get to it people, review!


	5. Chapter 4: Ancient Horrors

Okay, guys, here's another of Kamen Rider Blade: The Sacred Stones! Also another OC of The Wild Fang will appear in this chapter. His name is Kurai and no, it's not the same Kurai from my Kamen Rider GX story. This is a different Kurai. So which Kamen Rider will Kurai be? Well, you're just gonna have to read.

Disclaimer: Same thing. Also, Storm Ryder, Amber Lockhart, Akira Inayo, and Kurai Hono are owned by The Wild Fang.

* * *

_Chapter 4: Ancient Horrors_

_Inside the girl's large tent, Eirika was having a hard time to sleep as Vanessa and Amber just slept normally on both of her sides. She was thinking about something that's been bothering her for a while. "Why can't I sleep…? I do need my rest to continue on my journey for tomorrow but…" It was then that she began to have flashbacks about her first encounter with three people from a different world, particularly Kurogasa._

* * *

**Flashback**

Since the day they met, Kurogasa has always helped her out. It's all started off with his team saving her from the clutches of Grado's men, followed by being pushed aside just to save her from being stabbed by the mercenary, waking her up from her unconsciousness, standing in front of his door after telling them about the departure time, going to the village together just to warn the villagers regarding the incoming thieves, having a little accident in the wagon as she was on top of him, slightly blushing while applying the Vulnerary onto his wound and even him hugging her to comfort her when she felt sad. During battle, he always dashed forward to protect her from harm, even if it cost him being hurt. He even led the team on the right direction before Akira took over the strategy planning. She even remembers the tale that he told her about Blade. It was then she began to recall some of the conversations from him and others…

* * *

"Don't worry, we'll protect you. You've seen us beat those bandits right?" Kurogasa assured her.

* * *

"I… don't have an answer for you there. But until we know the answer, the best thing we can do for now is just do what we can." Kurogasa told her with a confident smile on his face.

* * *

"It's quite rare of you to give advice to someone we barely know, especially towards a girl." Amber added as Storm noticed something.

"Come to think of it, this is the first time I've seen you work out over something like this, other than Blade…" Storm pointed out on Kurogasa.

* * *

"Phew! Thanks goodness you're alright." Kurogasa sighed in relief after worried about her condition.

* * *

"What a unique name and a good looking guy! How lucky of you!" Tana said with a smile.

* * *

"Because I saw the whole battle at the gate and he seems to be a pretty kind and caring person. He was really worried for you when you were knocked unconscious." Tana told Eirika.

* * *

"I noticed you've been looking at that young man over there for a while. Care to share?" Vanessa asked in a motherly tone.

* * *

"Say, what do you think of Kurogasa?"

* * *

"Because he's been helping you a lot lately. Usually whenever there's a situation involved, he'll try his best to avoid it but when we first arrived here and I look at his expression, I can tell from just a glance that he's been really worried about you." Amber elaborated.

"He… has?" Eirika asked.

"Yep! That's why he's willing to go through all of the trouble to help you than trying to find our way back home." Amber assured her.

* * *

"Big sis, are you worried about big bro?" Garren asked her.

"Oh, don't worry about Blade. When it comes to will and determination, he will trump over all of the obstacles with a swing of his blade." Lance assured her.

* * *

"Let it out…" Kurogasa told her softly. "Just let it out. I won't judge… I promise you this… we'll end this war and regain peace once again…"

**End Flashback**

* * *

_She doesn't know why she remembers those all of the sudden and she felt pain on her chest as she puts her hands on it. "Why does my chest hurt whenever I think about it?" Eirika asked herself as she looked to her right to see Amber sleep happily while mumbling out Storm's name. "What kind of pain is this…?"_

* * *

The night was very beautiful as the rest of us decided to sleep near the campfire while looking the sky filled with stars. To be honest, I couldn't sleep for some reason and no, the pain hasn't lessened right after that. "Can't sleep, buddy?" I looked up to see Storm was still wide awake as he kept looking upwards.

"No. Not really." I answered.

"Yeah, me neither… I'm still worried about Amber's hemophobia. She was really shaking in her boots when that happened…" Storm said to me.

"Look, I've told you many times already…" I groaned for a bit before he decided to change topics again.

"Do you think we can find our way back home?" Storm wondered.

"Hopefully…" I answered.

"I mean, don't get me wrong. It's not like I hate this place or anything, but I've been worried about my family back home… it has been a week since we got here, right?" Storm pointed out.

"Yeah. And by now, it's pretty much obvious that your parents noticed that you've already gone missing."

"Man, I really hope they didn't do anything silly again… you already know my family's the happy–go–lucky type, right?"

"Says the guy who can be clueless at random times and not to mention an egg burger lover…" I told him before both of us had a good laugh. After a while, we went silent once again before he breaks the ice one more time.

"Say… can I ask you something?" Storm asked me, which caught my attention. "What do you think of everyone, minus the ones from our world that we've met so far? Is there anyone that has caught your interest?"

"W–What makes you say that?" I stuttered a bit.

"You really think I didn't notice, huh? But, don't worry. I'm not going to tease you like Amber always does. I'm your best friend, and I always listen to what my friend has to say. If you want me to keep a secret, I'm fine with it as well." He said before he sits up and looked at my direction. "So? Aren't you going to tell me?" Man, I might as well tell him now, otherwise he'll never stop bugging me.

"Okay, fine, I like Princess Eirika." I admitted.

I waited for a while to wait what kind of respond he'll give out and the only reply I got from him was… "I'm glad for ya."

**(BGM: Fureau Kokoro from Black Cat OST)**

"Eh?" Wait a minute; he's actually serious not teasing me about it? That's it? "What do you mean by that?" I asked confused.

"Because when I told you when I had Amber as my girlfriend, I clearly saw the pain on your face as if you were afraid I might ditch you all because of her. But Amber was also a pretty much open person for a rich girl; which I thought most of them usually always acted big and mighty, but not her. She's different from other rich girls that I know of as she wanted to be your friend as well. But I'm glad to see you having to like someone." Storm told me with a smile on his face.

"So… you won't tell anyone? Not even Amber or Akira? At least… not until I'm ready to tell, that is…?"

"Don't worry about it, buddy. Your secret's safe with me." Storm assured me with a smile. "Let me give you advice though. When the time comes, there are times where we can't be there for you. I always worry for you since you have no one else in your life after you mom and dad died, but after hearing this, those worries of mine are gone in an instant…" he said before he lies back onto his sleeping mat and looked up at the sky once again. "Well, better get some shut eye, we got a big day tomorrow…"

"Yeah, we gotta need our rest…" I said to him before I heard a snore from him in an instant. He sure is a fast sleeper… well, at least my secret's safe with Storm.

**(End BGM)**

* * *

The next day, morning had come by. And I heard some clashing and at first I thought the enemy was attacking us. As soon as I got up, it was actually Garcia and Ross having a spar with each other. "Eeeyeeergh!" Ross shouted with all of his might as he tried to swing his wooden axe onto his dad, which Garcia stopped before Garcia pushed him back with a tackle. "Is that all you got?" Garcia challenged as Ross stood up and continue to assault his dad. Eventually, Garcia ended the duel with his victory once again. "All right… Good. That's it for today."

Ross took a breather before he began to speak to his dad, "You're so strong, Dad!"

"Ahaha! You're finally getting the hang of it, boy! Your stroke is heavier, and your swing has definitely improved." Garcia praised him, which makes Ross's smile appeared on his face.

"Yes. I've been practicing all the time, even when I'm not in battle. Maybe someday, I'll even surpass _you_!_"_ He challenged his father.

"You're getting stronger, no doubt about it. But I'm not going to let you win. You'll have to get there yourself." Garcia advised him, which Ross instantly nodded in agreement.

"Now you're talking! The higher the hurdle, the bigger the reward. Alright, I'm going to practice my swing and help out Neimi and Colm with the breakfast hunt! See you later, Dad!" Ross told his dad before heading towards the forest as his father just looked at his son with a proud face.

"Risa, you'd be so happy. Ross has grown into a strong young man." Garcia said to himself as he wipes off the sweat on his forehead before he noticed me looking at him. "Oh, morning lad. You're awake."

"Yeah, I am. I see that even at your age, you still got it." I said.

Garcia laughed for a bit before he calmed down. "That's what experience is all about, lad. My boy there, always think of surpassing his dad, which is no doubt that one day… he will surpass me. And if that moment comes, I'll be proud of it."

"No doubt…" I said. "Say, how about you and me have a spar? I'd like to see what the great Garcia is all about. And besides, I need to get the grogginess out of me." I challenged.

"My boy, I'll accept the challenge at any time, but be warned, I will not hold back my strength." Garcia said to me as he puts down his wooden axe and took out one of his own.

"That's just how I want it." I said putting in the Change Ace card in my Blay Buckle. Putting it onto my waist, the deck of cards surrounded it. A pulsing noise could be heard until I got into my pose. "Henshin!" I declared and did the various movements before pulling the lever to reveal the spade.

**TURN UP**

The energy rectangle with the Change Ace Beetle appeared in front of me and went towards me, and I went through the rectangle donning myself in my armor before I took my Blay Rouzer and charged at Garcia.

* * *

_Amber woke up from her sleeping place as she sat up and noticed where Princess Eirika was sitting and Vanessa wasn't at her sleeping place. Stretching out for a bit, she looks upon the Princess with her fully charged self. "Good morning, Eirika!" Amber chirped up, causing the princess to turn to her with a smile of her own._

_"Good morning to you too, Amber." Eirika greeted back as Amber noticed something wrong about her._

_"Say, you look a little pale." She pointed out._

_"Oh? It's because I kept waking up from my sleep." Eirika informed as Amber hugs her to the side, surprising her for a bit. "Amber?"_

_"It must be nightmares or something else that kept you up this long… don't worry, even I have them as well from time to time… no thanks to Kurogasa with his blood festival…" Amber groaned for a bit, causing the princess to giggle a bit._

_It was then Eirika remembered something when she mentioned a particular person's name and she wanted to ask her about it, "Um… Amber…"_

_"Yes?" Amber replied back as Eirika took a while to think before she shakes her head lightly._

_"Oh, never mind… I guess we should wash our face for a bit, right?" Eirika proposed, which Amber immediately agreed to as both of them walked out from their tent and saw Blade sparring with Garcia._

* * *

Man, he wasn't kidding about what he just said after we battled it out for a while. When I tried to thrust my Blay Rouzer at him, he grabbed my arm and held it tightly before he delivered a few back elbow shots to my head. When he tried to deliver another one, I was able to block it with my free hand before he kneed on my stomach before he lets go of my arm and gave me an uppercut slash at the exact same spot where Bazba landed on yesterday, causing me to tumble down for a bit.

"You got good speed, but your predictable moves are something that was easy to spot. And have you left many weak spots…" Garcia tutored me.

"And… I can see why General Seth holds you in high regard…" I panted as I stood up. Garcia didn't leave me any breaks as he immediately rushed forward with an axe in hand swinging his axe onto me I was able to parry it with my Blay Rouzer. I countered it with one of my own but he blocked it with the flat side of his axe before he pushed me while tripping my leg without noticing before he jumped onto me and had his axe facing my helmet inches away. I was shocked by the fact he was really fast before he slowly stood up and pulls me up.

"That's enough for today, lad. If someone like me can take you down, imagine someone with far greater experience. Instinct is one thing, but you cannot rely on it all alone. Hone your skills with your blade and continue to improve yourself…" Garcia advised me before he heads out towards Neimi, Ross and Colm which they caught a deer for today's breakfast.

"Kurogasa, are you okay?" I heard a voice as I turned to my side, Eirika was there worried about me, along with Amber with her usual smile on her face.

"Looks like you got beaten by someone today…" Amber teased me making me glare at her for a while before Eirika began to speak again.

"And what of the wound from yesterday? Are they fine?"

"I'm okay." I waved off. "That Vulnerary you gave me helped out, so I'm not hurt too bad."

"I'm glad to hear that…" Eirika said with a smile, and as always, Amber sure knows her timing to annoy me.

"Seems like I've missed something involving the two of you together again…" Amber giggled out, causing Eirika to be surprised as she slightly blushed.

"It's not like that! He was still in pain after the battle and I was only helping him by giving him Vulnerary to ease the pain!" Eirika explained to her as Amber continues with her usual tease.

"It was on his chest, right? I wonder if you had to help him out by taking off his armor and applied it for him." She continued while she giggled, causing Eirika to look down in slight embarrassment. Okay, that's just plain creepy. How the heck did Amber _know_ that?! "I was just kidding! Maybe you just gave him that ointment before heading off somewhere, right?" Amber said, which I immediately agreed.

"Yeah, after she gave it to me, she went straight to her tent." I told her, which she shrugged off at.

"Oh, well, in any case, I gotta wash my face for a bit. Are you coming, Eirika?" Amber asked her.

"You go ahead. I will follow suit." Eirika said to her before Amber went off first as I reverted back to normal. "Kurogasa… thank you for last night…" Eirika spoke in a low tone.

"No prob." I whispered back. Before I knew it, she gave me a peck on my right cheek before she followed Amber, which thank goodness she didn't see that, and I saw Storm walking by and witness the whole thing, giving me a smile on his face before he heads off towards the cooking area. Looking to my left and right making sure no one else was looking, I silently jumped in the air with glee, with my fist pumped in the air thinking,_ 'YATTA!'_

* * *

In the afternoon, we continued our journey to southeast, heading towards Serafew, which would be our next destination. With Eirika's bracelet recovered and her renewed determination, we continued to pass through the ancient forest of Za'ha, according to Father Moulder, which brings us, closer to Grado's border. When we were getting near there, we weren't expecting something that will pop out of the shadows of the trees. What kind of monsters? I'll tell you later on…

"Th–This place is giving me the creeps…" Neimi said as she gets close to Colm.

"Geez, just calm down, don't be a crybaby about it!" Colm added.

Once we have reached at the end of the forest, we stopped for a moment as Eirika went out of the wagon and walked towards Seth, followed by me and Akira as Amber decided to stay in the wagon for a while.

"We're approaching Serafew, at the border of Renais and Grado. Once we cross, we'll be in Grado… Renvall won't be much farther." Seth informed us.

"I can't believe we're actually going to cross the enemy lines…" Akira pointed out.

"That is, assuming we can cross the border without mishap…" Eirika muttered before she noticed something in the distance. "Oh! Look! Over there!" Everyone looked to what Eirika was seeing and what we saw, were hunched over figures with grey flesh. "Those strange figures… What… What are they? Are they… human?"

"I've never seen anything like it! What could they be?" Seth stated in shock as Akira and I also focused onto the said beings and both of us seemed to be in shock as Akira began to speak up.

"Big bro… Is that what I think it is…?" Akira asked me, which I could only said in a low tone.

"Undead…"

* * *

_In a Southern Village, a young monk with orange hair, wearing white robe and pants, blue scarf over his shoulders, brown boots and holding a holy book on his right arm was concerned over the matter as he saw people panicking around the village. "What have we done to deserve the trials before us? What is happening to us? How could such abominations walk our lands while the Sacred Stones protect us?" The young monk questioned himself as a young mage who has short purple hair with purple eyes, having a dot under her right eye, wearing black dress with black boots, a white mantle and a book on her hand, just casually passing through him while her eyes are fixed on her book, studying. The young monk noticed as he tried to pull her back into the village. "Lute, please, it's dangerous outside the walls! Stay here in the village!" He told her._

_It is then she closes her book, facing the young monk with her eyes and began to explain to him, "Artur, Those are revanants, aren't they? They were the vanguard of the Demon King in the days of darkness. The Tome of Nazania describes them in chapter 2, section 7, paragraph 8." Lute elaborated in detail, which made Artur confused for a moment._

_"You know of them?" Artur asked, which she just huffed to the side._

_"Duh! I'm a prodigy! I can recall most everything I see or hear. According to the book, revanants attack using razor sharp claws. Sounds painful, wouldn't you say?" Lute asked him, which made him have a sweat drop on his head for a moment._

_"Yes, er well…" Artur said confused for a moment until he spotted a group of people outside of the village. "Be that as it may, I must go aid those travelers outside. You should stay here within the safety of the village." Artur instructed her._

_"Very well. I don't mind staying here. In fact, it seems that's the smarter choice." Lute decided as she opens up her book while continue to read where she left off as Artur made his way towards the group. It was then she began to analyze something , "Magic is far more powerful than any monster's claws. The thickest hide and the strongest armor are useless against magic's power. Yes, I suppose I could have studied swords, but only magic is worthy of me. Even if this village were to be assaulted by monsters, I could defend it perfectly." Lute said in a monologue tone as she flips the page of her book._

* * *

"Good heavens, what in the world is that?!" Moulder said in surprise as some of the Undead and monsters are just moving around the area, as if anticipating for things to come.

"This is something new…" Gilliam pointed out.

"It is indeed, my friend." Garcia followed suit.

"Man, I've never thought we would see something like those before…" Storm said as Amber stuck close to him.

"W–What are those things?!" Amber said in a scared tone as Vanessa began to worry over it as well.

"Bad news for us…" Ross added.

"Hey, there's someone heading towards us!" Franz said as the whole group saw the monk heading towards their direction.

"Travelers, you must listen to me! The ancient forest of Za'ha is dangerous. Head south and pass through this place before the fiends surrounding you!" The young monk explained to them.

"Who are you?" I asked.

"My name is Artur." The youth explained. "The temple has assigned me the task of cleansing the forest of these… things. There are so many of the fiends, though. I wonder if I stand much of a chance alone. So if you would, please flee now while you have the chance."

"Fiends?" Erika replied. "You're not talking about the same fiends that served the ancient Demon King? That can't be right… They're nothing but legends and fairy tales…"

"Yes, I felt the same say when I heard. And yet here they are. This place is filled with them…" Artur said as he looked upon the vast field filled with monsters, "I wonder how far they're spread… surely they're not in Renais alone."

As he continued to explain, Storm dragged me towards a corner as both of us began to discuss over the matter. "This is bad… if what that monk said is true, there's a possibility that Joker could be involved in this mess as well. You know how strong that one really is… and Blade in the series had a hard time dealing with it…" Storm informed me.

"Tell me you didn't buy the Joker card did you?" I asked. Storm was quiet for a bit before he lets out a nervous laugh, which I had a sweat drop over._ "You did, _didn't you…?"

"Gomenasai, buddy! I just thought of getting the complete set of cards, including the Joker card…" He told me, which I only face palm.

"Ugh… well that's just great." I groaned.

"Look on the upside, at least were reliving the series, right?" Storm tried to cheer me up, which obviously won't do the trick as both of us returned back to the group.

"But… why are they here? How–" Eirika's thoughts were intervened as I spotted something from afar.

"Eirika, watch out!" I shouted at her as I managed to grab her to the side as everyone dodged a flying eyeball monster headed towards our direction.

"T–Thank you…" Eirika said as I let go of her and looked up.

"A Mogall…" Artur identified.

"Seems like we're not done just yet…" I replied before the Mogall, as Artur called it turned around and dove back towards our direction, trying to harm us again.

It was then Artur stepped forward to face it, "Please allow me to deal with this!" Artur said as he began to flip the pages of his book and read the inscription in it. As he reads it, his hand that aimed at the monster began to glow radiantly as it was charging up for an attack. "Evil shade! May the blessed light drive you from this land!" As the Mogall got close to his range, he released the light orb towards it, and made its mark burning it as it screeched in pain, before flopping to the ground dead.

"Good one." Storm chirped.

"Incoming!" Amber yelled. As most of us turned towards the direction of where she was pointing, there was an Undead which had grey humanoid body with big bulky eyes, multiple number of sharp teeth at the front of its mouth, have bladed arms and spiky legs at the bottom. This was the Mantis Undead as everyone was in shock to see it.

"What in the world…?" Franz stated before the Undead rushed towards our direction. Both Storm and I tried to hold off the Mantis with our Rouzers in hand and Seth began to shift his focus onto the princess.

"We ought to help. We can't fight them all alone! Do you have orders?" Seth asked her.

Before Eirika could speak, Artur remembered something as he informed them in a quick manner. "One of my companions is in that village to the south. If you can get there swiftly, I implore you to watch over her safety."

"Then, I would go with Ross to make sure of her safety!" Vanessa said as Ross rides on her Pegasus and flew to the sky.

"Neimi and I will guard the caravan since I don't see any treasure chests lying around…" Colm added as he took out his dagger and Neimi was a bit scared while keeping her bow tightly on her grip.

"The rest of us will aid Artur in exorcise these beings…" Eirika said as everyone, including Amber and Akira, began their advance towards the monsters.

* * *

_As the battle continues on, a group of people approached on the other side of the field as they witness the battle. There is a young troubadour who has yellow–green hair tied in a ponytail matter, wearing white dress, skirt, mantle, gloves and long boots, all in white with red linings on it. She is wielding a staff and riding on her horse. Next to her side is a short berserker with forest green spiky hair and long beard and moustache, wearing red armor with black pants and around his waist consists of cyan leather frills. He also wears a brown boot, wearing white gloves and hanging his great axe on his back as he looks upon the battle as well. A rogue within the group, who has long chestnut brown hair, tied in a ponytail, wearing gold bandanna with a few decorations on it, wearing purple trench coat and green shirt underneath it, with light brown pants, brown boots and fingerless gloves, with a sword on his waist, also witness the battle firsthand as they saw the whole field is covered with monsters, which tried to attack the travelers from her sight as another warrior with black hair that is combed to the back with brown eyes, wearing black light armor with gold trimmings at the wrists, black greaves and red bandanna on his head looks upon it while wielding his dual blade on his hands._

_"Oh, my! Those travelers are being besieged by the agents of evil!" The young troubadour began to speak in an eager tone, which the berserker laughs for a moment._

_"Ha, ha, ha! Right you are, Lady L'Arachel!" He spoke._

_"I cannot allow this to happen!" L'Arachel spoke as she pointed her wand forward as she saw the warrior simply took a log and slide down the hill that he uses as a shortcut to get down immediately. It is then she began to have a great idea. "Come! Let us follow the example of that young man by charging down these cliffs and rush to their aid!" L'Arachel claimed as the rouge was having a sweat drop regarding her eager manner on jumping straight to the battle… by jumping down the hill._

_"We charge down these cliffs, and the only thing we'll be rushing to is death…" The rogue pointed out as he looked to the side and found a path that leads downwards. "How about we find us a nice, gentle path down such as that, hm?"_

_L'Arachel looked to her side as she had her own sweat drop before she laughs it off, "Ah… yes!"_

_'What am I doing here in the first place…?' The rogue ponders to himself before she lunges her staff forward as she anticipated the adventure she is about to join in._

_"Come, Rennac and Dolza! Let us hurry nonetheless! I simply cannot abide those wicked beasts running amok!" L'Arachel said happily as her horse began to pick up the pace._

_"Right behind you, Lady L'Arachel!" Dolza said in a happy manner as he began to follow her in suit._

_"As long as I'm getting paid, that is all that matters…" Rennac said to himself as he followed suit before he ponders for a bit. "Why is that guy sliding down heading towards the forest anyways?"_

* * *

As the battle heats on, Lance and I are dealing with the Mantis Undead and it seems like this guy is one tough cookie to crumble down as we ended up getting a few steps back from its slash. "This Undead is too strong… how in the world did Hajime beat this thing in the first place?" Lance asked me.

"Don't know, but we still gotta seal him up." I said.

"Like how?!" Lance yelled out before both of us rolled to the side from the impact of the Undead's blades that literally created a crater from it. "How are we supposed to do that, if this thing moves way too fast?!" He told me before he blocks one of the blades from the Mantis Undead but suffers a blow from another cut to his abdomen, creating a spark before it does a back kick, making Lance crash through the tree. "Ahh!" He winced in pain as the Mantis Undead now focused on me as he had already taken care of him.

"Lance!" I cried out. The Mantis Undead started to dash towards me when I was distracted for a moment as I defended myself with my Blay Rouzer. Both of our blades crashed and sparks were ignited for every slash that we've done as Lance was having a hard time trying to stand up with the support of the tree. I kicked its gut to force him to make a few steps back as I opened up the fan of my Rouzer and took out two cards and immediately roused it onto my Rouzer.

**SLASH**

**THUNDER**

Two holograms of Slash Lizard and Thunder Deer appeared behind me as I raised my Rouzer high to let the holograms enter in before the move was announced.

**LIGHTNING SLASH**

With that, I charged forth towards the Mantis Undead with my electrified sharp Rouzer on my hand. I started off by giving a horizontal slash onto its body, followed by a diagonal down its chest before I made another slash on its face. The Mantis Undead took a step back before I immediately charged forward towards it. The Undead crossed its arms before it lets out a beam of attack coming out from its blade, hitting me from afar, much to my surprise as I landed next to Lance's tree.

"Blade… Ungh!" Lance tried to approach me but his right foot suffered badly as his right foot was caught up during the crash.

"This is bad… is this Category Ace's true strength?" I muttered to myself as the Mantis Undead slowly walks toward our direction. I tried to stand up but a jolt of pain rushing on my chest as it hasn't still recovered yet. Is this how our lives will end?

"DIE!" The Mantis Undead shouted with all of its might as it raised both of its blades high and just before he could slash it down, a spark was created on its back before we saw a man slashing out the enemy with ease, forcing it to go back as the Mantis Undead growls in anger.

The man looked at us with an unsatisfied look on his face. He had black hair that is combed to the back with brown eyes, wearing black light armor with gold trimmings at the wrists, black greaves and red bandanna. He said to us in a rude tone, "To think you have the power to defeat evil, but being crumbled down in an instant… what an eyesore…" He said before he rushes towards the Mantis Undead as I slowly stood up and leaned against the tree.

"Blade… the dual sword that he wields… could he be…?" Lance noticed.

"Kurai?" I asked.

"Huh? You know him?" Lance asked me.

"Of course. Didn't you know? He's what the school branded as the school captain's karate club with a bad mouth…" I tried to explain to him.

"No, I don't know much about it. And I was talking about the blade he's holding. Isn't that the Chalice Arrow?" Lance said as I finally noticed it from Kurai's grip.

"You're right…" I said. "And if that's the case, he must have the Chalice Buckle on him too."

Kurai had no problem dealing with the Undead as he continues to slash it to the corner, not letting the enemy escaped by any means necessary before he delivers a straight cut down to the ground, causing the Undead to tumble down with a few sparks on its chest. "If you two eyesores are up now, I suggest you better take care of this thing right here and now…" Kurai mocked us.

"Hey! We're not an eyeso– ungh!" Lance tried to retaliate but his right foot started to act up again. "Darn it… I think I twisted my ankle pretty bad…"

"Hmph… whatever…" Kurai said as he continued to slash it down to not let the Undead get any opening.

"Man, that guy hasn't changed at all…" I shook my head as I was able to recover and join him. This time, with the help of Kurai and Lance backing off for now, we've managed to weaken it in an instant. As Kurai kept his offense forward, I fanned out my Rouzer once again and took out two more cards before I roused it once again.

**KICK**

**THUNDER**

Two holograms appeared once again as Kick Locust and Thunder Deer appeared and this time, it was absorbed into my body before the move was declared.

**LIGHTNING BLAST**

"Kurai! Stay back!" I shouted as I stabbed the Rouzer onto the ground and delivered a Rider Kick directly onto the Mantis Undead chest, as Kurai managed to dodge it in time, creating an explosion as the Undead is now covered in flames. Undead cannot be killed as the only way to 'kill' it is by sealing them with a card. Taking out a Proper Blank, I threw it at the Mantis Undead, and it slowly was absorbed into the card. Once it was completely sealed, as it tried to get to my hand, Kurai's hand shot out and grabbed it instead, looking at the Category Ace: Change Mantis in his hand.

"I don't know why, but this card is calling for my name…" Kurai muttered to himself.

"Kurai, do you have the Chalice Buckle on you?" I asked.

"Chalice Buckle?" Kurai said confused before he looked at the belt around his waist. "So, this is what you kids call it, huh? And I thought it was just for decoration…" He said before he began to walk to the vast field. "You! Take that weakling back to your hideout or whatever you call it. I'll deal with them…" Kurai said before he runs towards another direction as I walk towards Lance and help him out by placing his arm around my shoulder for support.

"That guy really annoys me… why is he calling us an eyesore?" Lance pointed out.

"He just thinks we're annoying, that's all. C'mon, let's get you back to the caravan." I said.

* * *

_With the help of Vanessa's Pegasus, both Vanessa and Ross reached towards the village Artur mentioned. When they looked around, they saw Lute, casually reading her book until she noticed their presence. "You're the mage that Artur mentioned, correct?" Vanessa asked Lute as she just nodded in agreement before she flips another page._

_"What's up with her?" Ross said as Lute closes her book and began to speak after looking at Vanessa and Ross._

_"Your flesh shows no sign of putrefaction." The girl mused. "It seems you're not a revenant." She added tilting her head. "I've decided to join you in battle now."_

_"Huh?" Ross said in confusion before Lute introduces herself to both of them._

_"My name is Lute. I'm a mage of superior wisdom and rare ability. I've been reading up on these revenants. They are, quite simply, no match for me. I am superior, after all." She boasted about herself as she began to notice a few DarkRoaches outside of the gate. "To prove it to you, I shall demonstrate…" She said as she began to chant. In an instant, flames appeared on her arms and when she waves it down, a strike of flame hits the DarkRoaches, destroying them in the process._

_"Whoa…" Ross said surprised for a bit._

_"She will be a useful ally to us…" Vanessa said to him._

_"Come… let us continue our battle…" Lute said as the three venture out to help the rest of the group._

* * *

_Meanwhile, on the vast field_

_"Begone! Evil spirits!" Artur shouted as he casts a Light Spell and a beam of light hits a few skeletal warriors and DarkRoaches, turning them into dust in an instant._

_"Grr… just how many of them do we need to handle out here?!" Larc said in an annoyed tone as she borrowed Garren's Scope and roused it onto her rouser._

**SCOPE**

_In an instant, the Scope Bat hologram appeared and was absorbed into her armor as she began to shoot out the flying Mogalls at the sky with precise accurate, killing them instantly._

**BULLET**

**RAPID**

**FIRE**

_Three holograms of Bullet Armadillo, Rapid Pecker and Fire Fly appear behind Garren as it enters into his armor to let the move declare__…_

**BURNING SHOT**

_"Big sis, get back!" Garren shouted as Eirika took note and does what he instructed as he shoots out a volley of fireballs aiming at the DarkRoaches and a few skeletal warriors._

_"Thank you…" Eirika thanked him before she began to advance once again with Garren on her side. As Gilliam, Franz, Garcia and Ross took care of some of the weakened DarkRoaches; Seth was being healed by Father Moulder from the attacks of the ghouls._

_"There, all done." Father Moulder told him as Seth thanked him before he rushes towards the battle. As the battle continues on, Garren and Eirika continued the assault when the number of monsters decreasing and Larc joins in, the three of them noticed another Undead as it has black and white body on its body, a multiple number of horns on its head, shoulders and knee caps, wearing a long trench coat and wields a crescent blade on its hand, lurking upon the three of them. This was the Capricorn Undead._

_"Haa… it seems like trouble has arrived… how dare of you destroy my own minions…" the Capricorn Undead hissed at them._

_"W–What is that thing?!" Larc freaked out._

_"I've never seen such a fiend before…" Eirika was shocked by its appearance as Garren could only think of one thing from his mouth._

_"Undead…"_

* * *

As we were back at the caravan and thank goodness there isn't any of those creeps trying to attack here, Storm was lying on the floor of the caravan as Colm was in the middle of helping him out as Neimi could only closed her ears. "Now, hold still…" Colm warned him as in an instant, he immediately yanked his right foot, straightening it up.

"YEOW!" Storm yelled.

"Sorry Storm, just deal with it a bit longer okay?" I said. "Colm, Neimi, you keep looking over Storm. I gotta go help out Princess Eirika."

"Right." Colm nodded and I went out of the wagon to run back towards the battle.

* * *

Halfway towards my destination, while I was riding Storm's horse to get there, all of the sudden, the horse was surprised from the sudden explosion from the sky as it made me fall off before it galloped away back to the caravan. "Tch… what's with the explosion all of the sudden?" I asked myself before my focus shifted onto a figure at the sky, which surprised me in an instant. As the figure descended, it had a grey figure with an eagle motif helmet, with skeletal–like wings on its back, donned with a complete leather armor that covered its whole body and wields a mounted blade on each hand. This was the Eagle Undead as it landed on the ground and just glared at me with amusement.

"Funny how we encountered here… Blade…" The Eagle Undead pointed out, which he can tell by the buckle I have around my waist.

"Great, I got the Eagle Undead to deal with too…" I muttered.

"I am finally freed from being sealed in that card for a long time… true, the Stone of Sealing isn't here as the Battle Royale cannot commence as so… but, dealing with you would be a satisfying thing for me…" The Eagle Undead then got into a stance. "Saa… prepare yourself!" I fanned out my cards from the Blay Rouzer and roused a card.

**TACKLE**

A hologram of Tackle Boar enters my armor as I began to ram forward as both of us are charging towards the middle.

* * *

_Garren unleashed a few volleys of fireballs at the Capricorn Undead as Larc took out a card from her side deck before rousing it onto her Rouzer._

**MIGHTY**

_As the hologram of Mighty Ray enters her Larc Rouzer, she began to take aim at the Capricorn Undead and as she pulled the trigger, it also lets out a charged up Burning Shot at the Undead and caused an explosion to occur. "Well, that takes care of that…" Larc said with confidence as Eirika spotted something from the midst of explosion._

_"Akira, Amber… look!" Eirika pointed out as the Capricorn Undead was still standing tall, even though it has taken damage from the blast before it lets out a high pitch scream towards their direction. Eirika was shocked to see the scream that it was also creating a crater on the ground as it passed by and Garren realized it._

_"Big sis! Look out!" Garren shouted as he immediately steps in front of Eirika as Larc was surprised to see him next to her. As the scream hits them, it caused the three of them to fly a few meters away, causing their transformation to be cancelled out. The three were now covered in wounds, all due to the high pitch scream earlier._

_"Your Highness!" Seth cried out as he tried to make his way towards her direction, only to be stopped by a mob of DarkRoaches._

_"This is bad!" Garcia pointed out as he; Gilliam and Franz were far away from them even though the number of fiends, were decreasing in a rapid manner as well._

_"Someone has to help them!" Franz said in a frantic tone before he swings his blade onto the skeletal warrior's head._

_"Father Moulder, stay close to me!" Artur told Moulder before he casts another Light spell towards the ghouls. Before the two were pinned to a corner, an explosion was heard as Lute leaps next to them before conjuring another flaming ball onto the ghouls as Ross appeared and swings his hatchet onto one of the ghouls, chopping their heads off._

_"I will bring Father Moulder towards the three." Vanessa said as her Pegasus landed on the ground and Father Moulder mounted on the horse before the Pegasus took off. Meanwhile, as the three were fainted on the ground, the Capricorn closes in for the kill before he gets a slash from Kurai that appears out of nowhere._

_"Nani?!" The Capricorn said surprised by his sudden appearance._

_"Tch… how low of you trying to attack them when they're down… you're an eyesore to my view…" Kurai said as he shifted his focus onto Amber's side deck and he walks towards her picking up some of the cards that she held, Recovery Camel, Float Dragonfly, Drill Shell and Tornado Hawk._

_"You…" The Capricorn Undead hissed at them as Kurai takes out the card and shows it his Category Ace in his hand._

_"Henshin…" Kurai said as he roused the card onto his Chalice Rouzer._

**CHANGE**

_In an instant, his transformation began as from a citizen form into a warrior donned in armor. He had a red visor that resembled a heart shape on his black helmet with a pair of antennas on his head. On his black bodysuit, he wears a gold chest plate on his armor that also has a suit of heart motive with red linings at the edge, black shoulder pads with gold linings, long silver gloves that covered his entire arms and silver knee pads and boots with gold linings on his thighs. He held his Chalice Arrow while slotting his Chalice Rouzer onto his weapon._

_He had become Kamen Rider Chalice._

_"Chalice…" The Capricorn Undead hissed on his appearance._

_"Now… let the battle commence…" Chalice said as he began to rush forward._

* * *

Our blades collided as both of us tried to be better than the other. Even with its two mounted blades, it still can't touch me as I managed to slice it a few times, causing to make it stumble back for a bit. Feeling annoyed, it lets out a few dark explosive feathers from its skeletal–like wings and targeted on me. The feathers shot out, and they hit me hard, causing me to be knocked down to the ground. "How does it feel like to be shot by my feathers, Blade?" The Eagle Undead taunted me.

"Tch…" I groaned for a bit as smoke came out from my armor as I slowly stood up. I noticed that my Rouzer has only 400 LP left, all used up against that Mantis Undead and this one… _now_ what am I supposed to do?

"B–Blade!" I heard a shout from afar and I noticed that Neimi was running towards me in a quick manner before getting shocked to see the Eagle Undead in front of her.

"Neimi, what are you doing here?!" I asked her as I got closer to her. I noticed she carried Storm's Lance Rouzer on her hands and a card as well. "Where did you get this?"

"H–He told me to l–lend it to y–you…" Neimi stuttered before handing it out to me. "H–He said just in case your power is o–out…" She informed me, which I understood what she meant by powered out… my AP.

"Thanks Neimi…" I said while taking his Rouzer and a card and when I looked at it, a grin appeared behind my helmet. "Now get out of here." She nodded and then ran off. Meanwhile, I managed to stand up and confront with the Eagle Undead once again.

"Not satisfied yet? Do you want me to inflict more pain on you?" The Eagle Undead taunted me as it began to rush towards my direction.

"I think you should stay where you are." I told it as I roused a card that I received from Neimi earlier onto Lance Rouzer to activate it.

**BLIZZARD**

In an instant, a hologram of Blizzard Polar Bear appeared and was absorbed into my armor. In an instant, a cool breeze blew towards the charging Eagle Undead, causing it to be fully frozen at the middle of the path as we're just meters away from attacking each other. "Now, it's time to finish you off…" I said before I took out three more cards and roused it onto the Lance Rouzer.

**KICK**

**THUNDER**

**MACH**

Three holograms of Kick Locust, Thunder Deer and Mach Jaguar appears behind me before being absorbed into my armor causing the world to be put in slow motion as I began to speed up.

**LIGHTNING SONIC**

I stabbed the Lance and Blay Rouzer to the ground before I leaped high to the sky and connected the kick onto its chest, causing an explosion to occur right after that. The Eagle Undead lied on the ground quietly while being covered in flames. I took out a Proper Blank and threw it at the Undead, sealing it in before the card before it darted back to my hand. "Whew… that was a pain in the butt…" I muttered. "Now I gotta go help the others."

* * *

As I rushed towards the vast field to aid them with Lance Rouzer on my back and Blay Rouzer on my waist, I noticed the number of monsters have begun to decrease rapidly because of our teamwork. "Seth!" I shouted, which gained his attention.

"Kurogasa, go help the princess! Another mysterious warrior appeared to aid them!" Seth told me before he swings his sword onto the ghoul.

"What?" I asked as I looked around and saw the Capricorn Undead fighting… Kamen Rider Chalice?

I was distracted for a moment before a gallop was heard to see Gilliam taking out some of the ghouls. "Go now! We'll continue to lessen the number of them!" I snapped out from my thoughts before I rushed forward. Along the way, Garcia and Artur helped me clear the way so that I can make it to cross the bridge so that I can get there on time. When I arrived, though, Vanessa was there, along with Father Moulder, healing the wounded Eirika, Amber, and Akira.

"Eirika!" I shouted in shock.

"Have no fear, young man. She just fainted from the blast with minor wounds, all due to this brave child taking most of the damage for her…" Moulder assured me.

"Go, help that strange warrior. I'll protect them." Vanessa said before I nodded and ran straight towards the Capricorn Undead and delivered it one of my kicks to its chest.

"You're late…" Chalice complained.

"I got caught up with the Eagle Undead." I said showing the Fusion Jack Spade card to him. "And now that I got that I can restore my AP for my Blay Rouzer." I then roused the Fusion Jack card on my Blay Rouzer.

**FUSION**

The hologram of Fusion Eagle appeared as it enters onto my Blay Rouzer while taking some of the limitless points from the Lance Rouzer, refilling it back up to 5000 AP. As Father Moulder just finished healing them, Vanessa carried Akira onto her Pegasus while he rushed towards the others who needed to be healed.

"Say, Vanessa, mind returning this lance back to Storm? Tell him I owe him one." I told her before she nodded in agreement.

"Very well. Do be careful of taking care of that fiend." Vanessa advised me before she took the lance and flew back to our caravan.

Meanwhile, the Capricorn Undead slowly stood up as it tried to stand firm. "You…" It hissed at me.

"So, let's finish that thing off… shall we?" Chalice said while he took out three cards on his hand.

"Right, let's." I said as I took _my _three cards and we both roused them.

**FLOAT**

**DRILL**

**TORNADO**

**KICK**

**THUNDER**

**MACH**

Six holograms appeared behind us as Float Butterfly, Drill Shell and Tornado Hawk appeared behind Chalice as the same three holograms that I used to defeat Eagle Undead also appeared at my back as all of the cards were being absorbed into us before our moves were declared.

**LIGHTNING SONIC**

**SPINNING DANCE**

"Time to put you out of your misery…" Chalice said as his whole body began to rotate in a fast manner while my whole vision towards the world, was now in a slow motion.

As he spun faster and floated to the sky, he immediately delivers a drop kick while I leaped high and delivered a Rider Kick, as both kicks connected to the Undead, causing it to explode before lying down on the ground, motionless. At the same time, when the Capricorn Undead was defeated, so does the DarkRoaches as they disappeared in an instant. The only thing left to do now is to seal the Undead with a Proper Blank and this whole one hour battle is concluded without any tragedy on our side. Chalice went quiet for a moment before both of us reverted back to normal. Looking at the cards that he held, Vanessa returned to bring along the unconscious Amber onto her Pegasus before it soared out once again. "Interesting…" Kurai muttered out before he placed his cards onto his own side deck before heading back to the group. All that is left is just me and the unconscious princess on the grass.

I took the Proper Blank and threw it at the Capricorn Undead. The latter was absorbed into the card, and once completed, it shot back at me, and I caught it. "Nice. Now I can go into Jack Form with these two cards." I said before turning around to tend to the Princess. "Eirika… Eirika, wake up." I said.

She moaned for a bit before she slowly opened her eyes and sat up. "Kurogasa…" Eirika said until she remembered something about the Undead. "The fiend!"

"Oh, don't worry about it. I've sealed it…" I told her as I showed the card I mentioned and she was impressed for a bit. "Well then, shall we head back?"

She nodded in agreement as I lend my hand out to help her stand. When I pulled her up, her legs were a bit shaky before she could stand properly. It was then she began to ask me. "Kurogasa… who was that man earlier?"

"That man?" I asked confused.

"The one that helped us earlier. I managed to see him before I went unconscious…" Eirika said.

"He's… I guess you could say an acquaintance of mine." I answered.

"I see…" she said before both of us heads back to the rest of the group.

* * *

As Father Moulder took care of Storm's injury while Amber and Akira took a rest, Eirika, Seth, Artur, another mage named Lute, Kurai and I discussed for a bit after the battle is over. "We've killed all the monsters. Still, we'd best burn the bones to ash to be sure they don't return." Seth told them as the rest of the group collected the remains and piled it up so that Franz could burn them all and Father Moulder could perform the Last Rite.

"I still can't believe what we've been fighting here…" Eirika began to get worried, "I thought those fiends nothing more than myth and legend." She added.

"Those revenants are said to be the _least_ of the dark creatures." Seth replied. "And yet, the weakest of them could outmatch any normal man."

"Oh, there are much worse than those revenants and the entombed…" Lute said smugly. "Let's see, there's the bonewalkers, mauthe dogs, gargoyles, baels… Why, I'll bet you just about any creature of lore could be walking again. Yes, we're in for some trouble. Even my fabulous power may not be enough."

"O divine light, show me…" Artur began as he prayed. "Is this a sign of dark days to come?"

"By the way, Kurai, how the heck did you get here?" I asked him.

"Hmph… does it even _matter_ to you? All I know is when I opened my closet this is where I ended up…" Kurai said with less interest, which piqued my curiosity.

"And the weapons? The belt? Something tells me that you were actually going to the convention on that day as well, right?" I said which he flinched for a bit. I think I just hit a jackpot…

"Why do _you_ care? I have my own interest…" Kurai said as he kept crossing his arms while keeping the Chalice Arrow close to him.

At that point, Amber started to stir awake. "Huh? What happened?" Amber wondered as she slowly woke and noticed someone she recognized. "Kurai?!"

"Oh crap…" Kurai muttered.

She immediately runs towards him and hugs him tightly. "I'm so glad to see you, cousin!"

"Cousin?!" Most of us asked surprised for a bit.

"I knew that most of our friends didn't know about him, but how come you didn't know about my cousin, Kurogasa?" Amber asked me.

"That's because I told your boyfriend to keep his mouth shut…" Kurai groaned as he pushes her aside. "And stop hugging me already!"

"But you haven't visited our home for quite a while!" Amber pointed out.

"I know…" Kurai muttered.

"So, are you gonna be traveling with us?" Amber asked.

"That… I don't know…" Kurai trailed off for a bit.

"Princess Eirika, perhaps it would be wise to return to Frelia and regroup. Pressing forward seems foolish in light of recent events. We cannot have both Grado's forces and more of those terrible things." Seth proposed as she began to give her two cents.

"Seth, I follow your point, and nothing would please me more than running for safety." Eirika said as she turns around and look upon the vast field. "But what of my brother? He and his men are still trapped in the same situation _we_ are. I know full well that I may be leading us into even greater danger, but…" she stopped for a bit before she turns back to look at Seth. "Please try to understand."

"I understand…" Seth said.

"Aw c'mon… please?" Amber said pouting at Kurai.

"Amber, no. No, don't– no. Not happening. Don't you give me that look, Amber, no. No!" Kurai said but then Amber eyes started to get all puppy–like. "Ooooooh, you _know_ I hate it when you give me that puppy eye look."

"You're coming?!" Amber asked, which in the end, her cousin gave her a nod, which she immediately hugs on him. "Yay~!"

"I bet you must have used the same technique on your guy…" Kurai said with a face palm before another group appears next to them, ready to go on a battle.

"Aha! Foul creatures, beware! I, L'Arachel, bestow upon you the honor at banishment at my blessed hands!" She declared as she prepared her wand to attack, leaving everyone quiet for a bit… "Where're the monsters?"

"You're too late… we've already wiped them out…" Kurai informed her.

"Ah, glad tidings indeed!" L'Arachel said. She was a bit disappointed before she perked up a bit. "The heavens must be rejoicing! I am… a tad disappointed however. After all, I did rush all the way here to show you the splendor of my might." She added.

"Gwah ha ha! It's a real shame, isn't it, Lady L'Arachel?" The man in armor said it happily.

"What's shameful is the way you drag us around the countryside instead of heading towards the forest that leads us to the battlefield…" The rogue informed her, which the only thing he gets is a glare from her.

"Um… who are you?" Eirika asked.

"The ones that I tag along for the time being…" Kurai informed them.

L'Arachel giggled for a bit in a ladylike manner before she introduced herself. "Since you ask, please allow me to introduce myself. It is I, the true light and glory of the sacred realm of Rausten…" As she was about to announce her name, the armored man intervened her speech.

"Stop! Lady L'Arachel, you mustn't continue! You cannot reveal your true identity here!" He informed her.

"Her identity has _already_ been revealed by him…" I muttered to myself with a sweat drop of my own.

"Oh, yes, you're right. Oh, I get so careless sometimes!" L'Arachel giggled for a bit before she turned her horse around, facing the direction where the bridge was there. "Now, I must ride off in anonymity. Oh, how beautifully romantic!" She amazed herself, while leaving Eirika in a pickle for a moment.

"Uh… right…"

"You guys go ahead… I think I'm going to stick around with these guys for a while…" Kurai informed her, which she was a bit sad for a moment before she perked up once again.

"Fare thee well, strangers and Kurai! Perhaps our paths will cross again. Come, Dozla! Rennac! We ride!" she told them as she began to gallop towards the sunset.

"Gwah ha ha! Let's go, Rennac!" Dolza cheerfully said to him.

"Alright, alright…" Rennac said as both of them tagged along. As soon as the group of three ventured out, the rest of the team were confused for a bit before Eirika looks at Kurai.

"…What was that about?" Eirika asked him.

"Who knows? That's just them…" Kurai shrugged for a bit before he went towards the wagon with Amber tags along with him.

* * *

It was soon night time and we were again, camping for the night. Amber was tending to Storm about his leg, while Akira and everyone else were having dinner. I was in a tent with Eirika being tended to for injuries. Good thing that dinner was brought to us by Storm, otherwise, If Amber came in then she'd tease me and Eirika to no end. "Aw geez, that Eagle Undead did a number on me…" I cringed while I slowly took my armor.

"But at least you gained new cards at your disposal…" Eirika said as she brings in the Vulnerary and sat next to me. "You do have a lot of wounds to be treated…" She added.

"No kidding…" I muttered. "And I thought _Bazba_ was bad enough, this is even worse." I slowly took off my shirt and there were red dots of rashes all over me. At that point, Eirika suddenly looked away after I took off my shirt, which confused me for some reason. "What's wrong?"

"U–Um… I–It's nothing…" Eirika slowly turned around with a slight blush and she was a surprised from what she saw. "That's a lot of rashes you have… just how did you ever manage to survive it?"

"Other than the armor, a lot of luck…" I shook my head. Eirika giggled, which was quite cute as she began to apply the Vulnerary on my wounds. Things are a bit quiet before she began to speak.

"Amber must have been happy to meet her family member here…" Eirika spoke.

"To be honest, I had no idea Kurai was actually her cousin before she told us herself. No wonder Storm kept quiet about it… ite!" I cringed in pain.

"Ah! S–Sorry about that… I was just… thinking about something…" Eirika said as she applied back the Vulnerary on my rashes.

"Don't worry about it." I waved off.

As soon as she finished applying the Vulnerary on me, I wore my shirt back on as Eirika puts away the medicine as she began to speak again. "I wonder how my brother is doing… I just hope he's alright…" She said as she looked outside the entrance of the tent.

"I'm sure he's alright." I assured her. "I don't think your brother's the type of guy that gets himself beaten so easily."

"That's right… my brother is quite the fighter. His skill with a lance is unsurpassed by any other in the country. There are times where Tana's brother, Innes are always challenging him in an archery battle and they are at a tie for the moment…" Eirika said while she recalls her memory about her brother as she yawned a bit.

"Well, one of these days that tie is gonna break sooner or later." I said as I yawned too. "It's getting late; we better turn in for the night." I suggested.

"Yes… let's…" Eirika said before both of us stood up, but without warning, I felt a jolt on my leg, cramping, for sitting while crossing my legs for too long as I stumbled and fell on top of her on her bed, much to her surprise. "K–Kurogasa…" Eirika said before I slowly pushed myself up.

"Ah, sorry about that… my leg was–" I tried to explain until I found that both of us were in quite the situation. She was on the bed and I was on top of her. Both of our gazes met again and she was blushing. Without reason, my heartbeat began to beat faster as our gaze continued to lock onto each other and a blush began to appear on my face.

"Kurogasa…" Eirika said.

"Eirika…" I got out. For some strange reason, I slowly leaned down, my face was getting closer to hers and–

"What are you doing?" A voice asked causing us to pause as when both of us looked towards the entrance of the door. Kurai was there looking at us with less interest. When both of us looked back to the situation, I immediately sat back up while she sat back and looked away with her blush.

"Oh um… nothing." I got out.

Kurai just stared at us with his lazy eyes before he decided to do one thing he does know best. "I'm going to tell Amber about this…" Kurai said casually before he steps out of the camp and started to head towards his destination.

"No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no!" I yelled frantically darting straight after him trying to beat him to the punch. Kurai soon ran, with me in pursuit and soon I tackled him to the ground before I can have run over to the camp. "Storm, help me!" I cried frantically.

"Hm? What's wrong?" Storm asked.

"He's about to do something weird, that's what!" Kurai snapped as he tried to fight me off before he started to shout his cousin's name, only to get his trap shut by Storm.

"Sorry, buddy! There's an explanation for this…" Storm replied with a sweat drop as Kurai kept continuing to struggle it out before we dragged him to a nearby bush.

Once the coast was clear, we let him go as Kurai took a few breathers and glared at us angrily, "What's the freakin' idea?!"

"I'm not gonna have Amber tease me to no end, that's what!" I snapped.

"Oh? And the move you did back there is just pure accident, is that what you're trying to say?" Kurai said angrily before Storm intervened.

"Look, just calm down for a bit, okay?" Storm tried to negotiate with him, only to have his collar grabbed by Kurai and stared at him face to face.

"And you! If you _ever_ hurt her feelings in _any_ way, I won't forgive you!" Kurai added before he pushed him off as he started to turn towards the camp. "I'll forget what I just saw tonight. If I ever see you doing that again though, you'll be sorry." Kurai pointed out before he started to walk back there. "What an eyesore…"

"Man… that was _too_ close…" I sighed heavily in relief.

When I shifted my attention to him, Storm's expression said it all. He didn't seem to be happy about it as he looked at me, "Buddy, sooner or later, things could get pretty hairy and I can't cover up for you all the time…"

"I know, I know…" I said starting to feel somewhat depressed.

"What happened anyway?" Storm asked me.

"Um… promise you won't laugh?" I asked him, which he nodded immediately. "The thing is… I accidentally fell on top of Eirika because of the leg cramp I had after she helped me apply some Vulnerary on me and to make things worse, we were about to kiss on the spot…" I replied to him as I awaited his answer.

He ponders for a moment before he remembered something similar to my situation. "You know, the same thing happened to me once with Amber at her room by pure accident before her cousin walked in on us and tried to let out a punch on me, so I can understand that, buddy." Storm said with a sweat drop.

"Really?" I asked him.

"Yeah, and I can relate that to your situation." Storm added before he turned his direction onto the camp. "Whatever you try to do next time, be sure to be alert on your surroundings…" He said to me before he walked back towards the campsite.

"He sure is one trusted friend indeed…" I muttered before I tagged along.

* * *

Oh boy, there we go! Another chapter down! Not to mention it's a 10,000+ word chapter! And Yes, Kurai has become Kamen Rider Chalice and we get to finally see some Undead in action and seal up three of them too! So from now on whenever an Undead appears and is sealed, on the bottom of each chapter I'll put in bold of what cards the Riders have obtained for that chapter. So, here it is now.

**Spades:** A, 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, **J**, **Q**  
**Diamonds:** A, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 10  
**Hearts:** **A**, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 9  
**Clubs:** 2, 3, 4, 6, 8, 10

There you have it people! So now, get to reviewing!


	6. Chapter 5: The Empire's Reach

Okay guys, it's another chapter of Kamen Rider Blade: The Sacred Stones! Also OC of Wild Fang is introduced. We have Kurogasa as Blade, Storm as Lance, Amber as Larc, Akira as Garren, Kurai as Chalice, and now the last is Melissa and she will be Leangle! So let's get to it!

Disclaimer: Same thing. Also, Storm Ryder, Amber Lockhart, Akira Inayo, Kurai Hono, and Melissa Lombard are owned by The Wild Fang.

* * *

Chapter 5: The Empire's Reach

A couple weeks have passed since the Undead and revenant infestation. After stocking up from the villages near the forest of Za'ha, we traveled on the road once again from the forest of Za'ha to the border town of Serafew. Of course, the road to Serafew wasn't pleasant as we ran into a few bandits, but it's nothing we can't take care of. "After we clear out of this forest, we should be arriving at Serafew soon…" Seth reminded everyone.

"Good, because the last thing we want to encounter other than those bandits are the Undead…" Storm said with slight annoyance. It was quiet for most of the trip too. Even during these past couple weeks en route to Serafew, Eirika and I haven't spoken to each other. Not since… that night.

"Hello~! Earth to Eirika!" Amber said trying to get her attention, as she suddenly snapped out of her thoughts.

"H–Huh? Oh… what is it, Amber?" Eirika asked her, making Amber worried for a bit.

"Y'know, for the last few days, the two of you seem to be quiet about each other. Something I miss?" Amber asked which made Eirika silent for a moment.

"Cousin, just be quiet so that I can enjoy this rest…" Kurai said in an annoyed tone as he continued to sit quietly in peace… until Amber intervened.

"But, Kurai! Usually those two always talk a lot! Doesn't that raise a question?" Amber said eagerly as she pinched both of his cheeks and stretched them out before-

*CHOP*

"Iteeeeeeeee!" Amber cried out as she holds her head due to a chop on it, courtesy of her cousin.

"If I were you, I wouldn't bother much about it…" Kurai said as he glared at me, which made me nervous for a bit before he closed his eyes back and resume his meditation.

When Kurai pointed it out, Akira couldn't help but look at both of us, trying to divert our eye contact with each other. "Big bro…" He said worriedly.

"Um… Don't worry about it, Akira." I assured him. "It's nothing." Akira's expression didn't seem to changing after I told him as the carriage continued to be quiet throughout the journey. It's not that I don't want to talk with Eirika… it's just… well; I don't know _what_ to say…

* * *

_Eirika was quiet throughout the whole day as she just couldn't forget about the incident from that night. She was below and Kurogasa was on top of her. During that time, she felt defenseless and her mind wanted her to push him aside, but her body didn't respond her commands. And as his face was leaning on hers, she couldn't help but place her palm on her chest to calm her heart down. "What was that… feeling?" She muttered to herself as Amber looked at her worriedly._

'Something must've happen between the two… this is _so_ not her usual self.'_ Amber thought._

_Meanwhile, in another carriage, Moulder and Gilliam, who was riding on his horse and guarding the back, began to have another conversation with each other as Moulder began to speak once again. "There it was again! That sound I told you about. Gilliam, did you hear it?" He asked his friend._

_"Oh, not again." Gilliam groaned before he replied, "No, Moulder. I don't hear anything."_

_"Is it really just me?" Moulder pondered, "Am I the only one who can hear it?"_

_Feeling worried about his friend, Gilliam began to ask him regarding his recent changes of attitude. "Maybe you should describe the sound to me. Is it a dull noise? A chirp? If it's louder, I should be able to hear it."_

_"No, it's nothing like that. It's soft… a melody of some sort…" Moulder described, which confused Gilliam._

_"A melody? Are you saying someone is playing music during a battle? What kind of music? What sort of instrument is it?" Gilliam continued._

_"I can't explain it. It's so… heavenly." Moulder expressed as he closed his eyes and listened to it with a smile._

_"Heavenly? You don't suppose it's some sort of… sign, do you?"_

_"Gilliam, I would be happy if you didn't say such things…" Moulder hissed._

_"Oh, sorry…" Gilliam apologized. "But Moulder… you're the one dedicated to spiritual matters. I would be surprise if–"_

_"I said enough of that, Gilliam!" Moulder said in a stern voice before he coughed. "I must be imagining things, that's all…"_

_"A melody only you can hear… Sounds mysterious to me…" Gilliam replied with interest._

_"I agree. Especially because I can't explain the cause. I must say, I'm worried. Gilliam… If something were to… happen, well… I'm counting on you."_

_"Moulder, we've been friends for a decade and a half. I'll protect you. Besides… it's my duty as a Knight of Frelia." Gilliam assured him._

_"I know I can count on you, Gilliam. I know that better than any man. You have my gratitude."_

_"Of course, Moulder…" Gilliam assured it as the journey continued on._

* * *

In Serafew

_A man with long red hair, wearing green hat and green trench coat and with white shirt underneath it, grayish pants and brown boots, wrapped cloth on both of his arms and a ring on his left forefinger, walks around the city with a happy face as he began to wonder off the city. "Well, well. There's an arena in this town. Perfect. My pocket's feeling a bit light." While he was heading towards the arena, he spotted two clerics heading towards his direction. As both of them are donned with white cleric dresses and a long white headdress, as both of them have blonde hair. The only difference between the two is one of them has long hair that reached her shoulders with white shoes and a wand on her hand; as for the other, she had long blonde hair to her back with front drilled hair, wearing brown shoes and wielding a staff with the top part of it which resembled a clove as both of them seemed to be in a hurry at a moment. "Say, are those two clerics?" The appearance of the two caught the man's attention, especially the one with her wand as he continues, "It is! And gorgeous ones at that!"_

_As he tries to approach them, they were being stopped by him as he asked them, "Something amiss, Sisters? You two looked flustered."_

_"U–Um…" The drilled hair cleric was a bit shy to reply for a bit as the other cleric began to speak. "P–Pardon us!"_

_"No, pardon_ me_! I've never meant to startle both of you. May I offer my apologies…?"_

_"No, it's not necessary…" The other cleric replied as she continued, "It was my fault… um, please excuse us, we must be going… good day to you." She replied as she took to the drilled haired cleric's hand and started to dash off at another place._

_"Natasha, please slow down a bit…" The girl said to the one with the wand on her hand as Natasha replied back to her._

_"No, Melissa, we must continue on our run… we must not let ourselves be caught…" Natasha replied as the two continued to run._

_The young man couldn't help it but just to let out a sigh. "…And there they go…" The man sighed as the clerics ran past him, running down the street. "Not my lucky day… They were quite the beauties too. Ah, such is life. I think I've time still to visit the arena, though."_

_Meanwhile, not far away from them, Glen entered the city with a serpent–like dragon called a wyvern walking along side its master as he meets up with the Border Guard of the city, where he is in his 50's, wearing red armor on his body and wielding a spear. Both men were discussing about something. "Captain Saar of the Serafew Border Guard. How fare you? I bring orders from His Majesty." Glen informed, which caught the guard's interest. "Rumor has it that Princess Eirika of Renais is making her way to Grado. You are to find her and to place her in custody immediately."_

_"Yes, sir!" He obeyed as Glen remembers something._

_"One more thing… two traitors of the Empire has fled from Castle Grado. We've received reports that they're hiding somewhere here in Serafew. I don't care if you have to tear this town apart. Find those two turncoats at once!" Glen said with a stern tone._

_"Yes, sir, General Glen!" Saar barked out. "If they resist, do we have permission to execute her?"_

_"…Yes. Permission granted." Glen replied, somewhat reluctantly._

_"Understood! Grado's will be done. The Grado Empire will repay the debt of betrayal with blood!"_

_"…His Majesty relies upon you, Captain." Glen said. "Be sure his trust is not misplaced. That is all."_

_"Yes, sir!" The knight barked with a salute before turning about and walking away, At this point, another man approached Glen, with a wyvern as well walking with lumbering steps._

_"Such loyalty to the crown…" Glen muttered. "If only I could hold such conviction in the righteousness of our Emperor."_

_"Something troubling you, Brother?" The man approaching him asked, his blonde hair was an equal shade to his sibling's, his armor holding a slightly blue tint to it._

_"No… Pay no mind to me." Glen replied as he moved to his own wyvern, mounting himself on its back. "Come, Cormag. Let's go. From here, we ride northeast, back to the fort."_

_"Very well." His brother replied, the two men then guided their beasts into the sky._

* * *

"Yosha! We've reached Serafew!" Storm chirped happily as the whole group stopped right in front of the gateway. I saw that Eirika was the first one to walk out from the caravan to outside before the others went out. After everyone was out, only then I got out and followed suit to see the city.

"It's been so long since I last visited Serafew." Eirika began to speak as she looks upon the city gate. "My brother and I used to pass through here en route to Grado." She added as she began to recall such wonderful memories with a smile on her face. "I remember the harmony in which the people of both countries lived. No walls divided our borders. No soldiers stood guard in high towers. The border town… It was to me a symbol of the trust between Grado and Renais."

"Yes, I remembered it as well, Your Highness… this place is where two countries united as one…" Gilliam added.

"Everyone was so happy back then…" Franz added.

"…and now, it is firmly under the thumb of Grado's Emperor." Seth said with regret.

"Well, that sucks…" Kurai scoffed a bit.

"Seriously, what does Grado have to do with this stuff anyways?!" Amber asked annoyed.

"That… we do not know, Amber…" Vanessa replied to her question.

"Pardon me, may I ask you a question?" Everyone turned towards the voice and we saw a young man in his 20's approaching us having grey hair.

"What is it?" Eirika asked that grey haired man.

"I'm looking for someone." He replied. "Have you seen a young girl with indigo hair?"

"Indigo hair?" Eirika asked. She looked towards everyone else and they all shook their heads. "No… Sorry."

"Hmmm…" The man mused. "Thank you. Sorry to intrude." He replied before walking away.

"There was something very odd about that man, wouldn't you say?" Erika asked, watching the man leave.

"Catch them!" They heard someone cry out. "Don't let them escape!"

"What the–!" I said.

"That way! They went that way!"

"What's that?" Erika asked, gripping her rapier.

"Trouble…" Kurai muttered.

* * *

As we tried to find the source of the cry for help, we noticed a group of soldiers are surrounding the two clerics as both of them seemed to be terrified. Is it just me or does both of them look exactly the same? "Traitor Natasha! Melissa! Surrender peacefully!" The guards warned them as Melissa could only grip her staff tightly to keep her distance from them. "Come quietly, and both of you may have the chance to explain yourselves before His Majesty."

"Melissa?" I began to recall the name but when I looked at Kurai, he seems a bit pale for a reason. "Kurai, what's with your look?"

"Uh… nothin'…" Kurai said while looking away, "I just hope it isn't who I _think_ it could be…"

"Eh?/Huh?" Storm and I couldn't hear what he just said as Amber hushed us as we continued to hear their conversation from afar. Upon closer inspection, I was surprised to see her as well. It was our senior at school and my mentor, Melissa!

"Wait, please! Listen to what she said!" Melissa pleaded them as the other one began to explain to them but the guard doesn't seem to have time as they began to hold her arms and try to drag them somewhere.

"Take her!" One of the soldier said as both of them tried to resist it.

"No, you must believe me! The Emperor is not himself! You _must_ be able to see that!" Natasha, if I heard carefully, stated as they tried to resist, even up to the point where Melissa tried to hit their toes with her staff, which she failed at miserably.

"Impugn the Emperor at your peril! We've been ordered to execute you if both of you offer any resistance. But your words condemn you!" We overheard what that soldier said as more of them appear to make sure they didn't resist.

"Kurogasa… that woman…" Amber started to remember the woman.

"Woman?" Eirika said while looking at Amber with a confused look.

"Melissa–sempai?!" I finally recognized while being shocked. I thought I heard a mirror cracked nearby but I noticed Kurai was sweating bullets.

"Hey, are you okay?" Storm tried to ask him.

"Those clerics are traitors to the throne of Grado? What madness _is_ this?" Eirika said in disbelief as Amber immediately bolted out from our hiding spot, causing us to be surprised.

"Oi, Amber, wait up!" Storm shouted as he quickly pick up the pace, causing to attract their attention to them.

"Chotto matte, Storm!" In the end, I have to chase them both.

"What _is_ this?" One of the soldiers said as Melissa–sempai saw the three of us running towards her direction.

"You three! Please, stay back!" Melissa–sempai cried out.

"Henshin!"

**TURN/OPEN UP**

Three holograms of rectangles appeared in front of us as we are now donned in our armor, much to their surprises and not to mention Melissa–sempai as well. "Eh?" Melissa blinked a few times as we continue to kick their butt as some of them began to retreat while trying to call for back up. It was then Eirika and the remaining group followed along and went towards us as Artur, Lute and Colm assisted them.

"Melissa–sempai! Daijobu ka? It's me! Kurogasa!" I said turning to face her.

"Kurogasa?" Melissa said in confusion before knocking my helmet a few times to make sure of it.

"Uh… what was it again?" I tried to recall something that will make her remember me instantly… until it hit me. "You should know _this_ quote: I'll be the trump card of hope, Blade!"

"Ah! It really _is_ you!" Melissa said happily as Lance looked around.

"Hey, where's Chalice?" Lance asked before he tried to block their attacks once again until Chalice runs through the enemy with his Chalice Arrow in hand.

"Are those three…?" Melissa tried to ask me.

"I can explain later." I said to her before I joined in the battle to protect her from harm.

Meanwhile, Eirika checks on the condition of Natasha, "Are you alright?"

"Um… who are you?" Natasha asked.

"I'm from Renais." Eirika informed, making Natasha surprised for a bit. "Why are these Grado men after both of you?"

"You're from Renais… Oh!" Natasha seemed to remember something as she began to tell her something important, "I have something I _must_ tell you. It's about Grado–"

"Wait! We'll talk later. Now we must fight!" Eirika stated as more of them are coming towards our direction.

"I–I will bring her to safety…" Neimi said as she took Natasha's hand and ran towards another direction.

* * *

_After a while, the same young man walks out from the arena with a sad smile on his face. "So much for my dreams of making my fortune here…" He sighed as he walked away from the arena. "First it's the girls, and now it's the gold. It really isn't my lucky day."_

_"You there! Mercenary!" A solider cried out. "What are you doing here at the arena? Get back to the staging area now!"_

_"C'mon, why don't we both hit the arena?" The red haired man offered. "It'll be good training. If you're going to risk your life anyway, you may as well try to earn some gold."_

_"I'm reporting you to the captain!" The man shouted out. "You'll be lucky if he just docks your pay! Don't forget– you can be replaced in an eye blink, you filthy sellsword!"_

_"Don't worry, little man." The swordsman chuckled, as the soldier walked off. "I won't forget. Work's work, but I don't like fighting women… Now then, what's the rest of the day got in store for me?" He pulled out a coin from his pocket and flipped it, catching it in his hand and looking down upon it. "…Tails, huh? That's nothing but bad luck and more bad luck…"_

_As Natasha was being led by Neimi, Natasha took a pause for a moment as Neimi looked at her in slight confusion. "W–What's wrong, Sister?"_

_"They may not want to hear what I have to say, but… I must speak with one of the Grado's soldiers." she implied._

_"W–Why?" Neimi asked surprised by her reply as Natasha could only let out a sigh._

_"Oh, if only one of them will listen to my words… please, grant me strength!" Natasha prayed before the two continued to run to another direction due to the soldiers are chasing them. _

* * *

_As the young man walks to the opposite side, he suddenly encountered Natasha and Neimi, which they were running towards his direction. Unable to stop themselves in time, the three bumped each other and fell on the ground. It took a while for them to recover before the two recognized with each other. "Ow… what hit me?" The young man groaned while rubbing his head, which caught Natasha's attention._

_"You…" Natasha began to recall. "You're the man I met…"_

_"You know him, Sister?" Neimi asked._

_"Not much, but… are you here to capture me?" Natasha said in a sad tone as she continues, "You've been hired to silence me, haven't you…" She said while looking down as the young man stood up and fixed his trench coat._

_"Yeah, Grado's paying the bill. They want you dead, you know? But don't feel bad, it's nothing personal…" He told her as he took out his sword in his sheath and began to aim at her head._

_"Wait, please…" Natasha pleaded for him as she continued to speak. "I don't care what happens to me, but you must let this innocent girl go and hear my words."_

_"Sister…" Neimi said concerned as the young man lowered his weapon for now._

_"I'm listening… you got three minutes…" He added before she starts to explain in rather detail._

_"The Emperor of Grado has changed. He is not the man he once was. The other nations must be warned before he extinguishes all light from our lands…" Natasha told him._

_"Hey, no offense, but I'm just a mercenary. I don't care about Grado or its Emperor." He shrugs off, "Everything you say may be true, or it may be lies. I don't care either way…"_

_"But that's…" Natasha gasped surprised._

_"Even so… killing a beautiful lady like you would leave a bad taste in my mouth…" He added before he puts his sword back onto its sheath and took out a coin from his pocket. "Tell me, do you like to gamble?"_

_"What?!" Natasha cried out._

_"Gambling's what I live for. Even when I lose, I never want to stop. Let's have us a little wager, you and me. If you win, I'll believe you. Heads or tails," He said._

_"You can't… This is no time for games…" Natasha said, clutching her hands into fists._

_"Oh ok, then I might as well do my job then."_

_"No! Wait! Ok… um, heads…" She muttered. "No! Tails!"_

_"All right. So I'm heads, and you're tails." He said, flipping the coin into the air. "Here we go." He said catching the coin and holding it up to his face._

_"Which… Which is it?" Natasha asked, her frame shaking._

_"What do you know?" The man laughed out, closing his hand. "It's tails. You win. Figures. I haven't won anything all day. Well Lady Luck has spoken. Guess I'm on your side now."_

_"Are you serious?" The cleric asked in disbelief._

_"Yeah." The man said with a shrug. "Sure, I might cheat, but I never worm out of a bet. It's a rule of mine."_

_"Oh, thank heaven!" The cleric cried out. "Thank you, blessed light, for your protection!"_

_"Hey, I got nothing against heaven, but I'm right here if you want someone to thank. No? Then get behind me. This Myrmidon's gonna show you everything he's got."_

_"May I ask for your name?" Natasha asked him as more soldiers are appearing behind him._

_"Hey, what's the hold up, mercenary?! She's right in front of you!" One of them shouted at him, which the man just let out a smile on his face before taking out his sword and aimed at the soldiers._

_"I got a name, y'know? It's Joshua and there's been a change of plans, boys… I think I'll be protecting her for now!" He said with a smile before he charges forward with Neimi helping out with her bow._

* * *

_While the group is fending off the enemy while protecting both clerics, outside of the gates, another group of bandits seems to have interest as they witness the whole place is in chaos for a moment. "Come lads! Let's steal our way through this pathetic town!" One of the bandits said with a smirk on his face before they charged forward to the city._

_On the opposite gate, two figures walked in while looking at the chaotic situation as well. One figure is consists of a grey body with patches of purple and green on its armor, having spider legs at its back and the back of its helmet, followed by a few spikes on its shin and boot. It also has sharp claws that are used as its weapon of choice. Another figure consists of a humanoid body with zebra head, black pants with black and white strips on it and wielding a horseshoe chakram on its hand. These are the Spider and Zebra Undead respectively. "So many blood; shedding in this place… and this is just the way I love it…" the Spider Undead pointed out as the Zebra Undead began to multiply into two before they charge into the gates. As some of the guards tried to stop them, the Spider Undead shoots out a web on them before sucking their lives out for its enjoyment. After that, it follows suit to get another meal of the day._

* * *

"This is just great… these guys ain't lowering in number… what an eyesore, indeed…" Chalice hissed before he took out another swordsman in front of him.

"Physical attacks are nothing compared to my magic…" Lute boasted before she conjured a fire spell onto a nearby spearman.

"O divine will, is this path of destruction truly needed?" Artur asked concerned.

As Lance and I backed up protecting Melissa–sempai, Lance noticed something on her hands and took a glance on it. "Melissa–sempai, why are you holding the Leangle Rouzer in your hands?" He asked, which caught my attention for a bit.

"Um… where should I start?" Melissa–sempai wanted to tell me, but Vanessa and Larc noticed something from afar as she began to shout at me.

"Kurogasa! I've spotted bandits appearing on the eastern gates!" Vanessa shouted at me.

"Oi! Blade! There are three more Undead heading our way at the western gates!" Larc pointed out.

"This isn't good! The city people must be warned!" Moulder reminded as he was healing Ross's injuries while Garcia is taking out an axe man.

"Sempai, do you have your Leangle Buckle on you?" I asked.

"Um… what's that?" Melissa–sempai asked. She wasn't sure about it since she's not a big fan of Kamen Rider or any Tokusatsu characters since she's a religious person.

"It's a belt with a picture of a clove on it. Do you have it?" Lance asked her while he pushed a swordsman aside.

"I _do_ have that kind of thing on my waist, under this dress… I can't remember why, but it said something about never letting this item go missing…" She tried to recall.

"Kurogasa, I shall drive off the bandits at the west gates with Franz, Vanessa, Gilliam and Garcia." Seth told me.

"Big bro, me, Larc and Chalice will try to stop the Undead! You, Lance, and big sis will take care of the rest of the soldiers!" Garren warned me.

"Don't you worry about Sister here; Ross and I will protect her since Neimi brought Natasha to safety." Colm replied.

"Alright then, take this Garren." I said throwing two cards to which he caught. It was a Proper Blank of the Ace of Clubs and the Nine of Diamonds. "I noticed from afar that it's the Spider and Zebra Undead. Make sure you properly seal the Spider Undead."

"Ah! Alright!" Garren nodded before everyone goes to their tasks.

* * *

_"Yah!" Seth cried out while swinging his sword down onto the bandits, killing them off while he was still mounting on a horse._

_"These guys are no match for my lance!" Gilliam said with a stern tone while swinging his lance onto the target, piercing through the axe and onto his chest before he pulled his lance back onto his hand. Vanessa threw her javelin onto one of the archers, which killed him immediately before she pulled the javelin back onto her hands. _

_Garcia threw his hand axe onto them, killing them off in a distance before capturing them back onto his hands. "They are still too many of them…" He pointed out._

_"Even so, we'll beat them. We just _have_ to!" Franz said taking out a Soldier with his lance._

_"You're right, Franz. Let's keep up with our defense!" Seth told them as they continued on their defense._

* * *

Meanwhile, with Colm's group…

_Colm and Ross managed to take down some of the soldiers nearby before reaching into a house. The three of them hid for a while, letting the soldiers pass through before the coast is clear. "Phew, that's a close one…" Colm let out a sigh._

_"Good thing we've manage to outrun them!" Ross added before looking at Melissa. "I didn't know a Sister like you can fight as well…"_

_"Oh, me? Well… a Sister needs to fend off from their enemies as well, correct? With this staff in hand, I was capable of doing so… it may be a wrong thing to do, but I don't have much choice… I pray longing for my sins to be forgiven…" Melissa replied back as the three of them noticed a woman at the seat, looking at them in surprise._

_"Oh, why hello there." A woman with long red hair tied up in a ponytail with a red dot on her forehead wearing some sort of dancer's clothes. "Have you all come to see me dance?" She asked._

_"Huh?" Colm raised an eyebrow._

_"Well…" Ross pondered for a bit._

_"I'm sorry, but we're kind of a bit busy for a moment." Melissa apologized to her._

_"Oh, don't worry about it; I've just finished a few moments ago." She replied before she remembered something. "Oh, by the way, would you be interested in one of these items?" She offered as she took out an item._

_"A Dragonshield?" Colm asked while taking it._

_"Yes. Wealth is useless if you can't use it to bring happiness to others, right?" She added._

_"We'll take it. Thank you for your generosity." Melissa bowed politely before Ross noticed Natasha, Neimi and Joshua were running away from another band of soldiers, which he was in a pickle for the moment as Neimi kept shooting arrows at the enemy._

_"We're sorry, but we're gotta go now." Colm added before he dashes off to help out the others, followed by Melissa and Ross._

_"Thanks for dropping by!" The woman waves happily at them before she said to herself, "Perhaps, we'll meet again someday…"_

* * *

With Garren's group…

_Garren, Larc and Chalice are facing off against Gemini Zebra and Spider Undead. "Let's see how you like to eat fire!" Garren yelled rousing his three cards._

**BULLET **

**RAPID **

**FIRE**

_"Let's give them a taste and let them comment about it!" Larc replied as she took out a card and roused it onto her Rouzer._

**MIGHTY**

_As the Mighty Ray appeared and was absorbed into her Rouzer, three more holograms of Bullet Armadillo, Rapid Pecker, and Fire Fly appear behind Garren as it entered into his armor to let the move declare…_

**BURNING SHOT**

_"Attack~!" Both of them shouted in unison as they pulled the trigger and unleashes volleys of fireballs onto the Gemini Zebra Undead. Even with such amount of fireballs, only the doppelganger of Zebra Undead took most of the damage before the real one slashed its chakram onto both of them, causing them to tumble down a few times._

_"Oi! You two!" Chalice saw them as he was distracted by the webbing onto his feet, causing him to not move for a while._

_"Your opponent is me…" Spider Undead hissed before it makes a dash towards him._

_"Oh yeah? Then, stay out of my way!" Chalice declared before he roused up two cards from his deck onto his Rouzer on Chalice Arrow to initiate it._

**TORNADO**

**CHOP**

_Two holograms of Tornado Hawk and Chop Head appeared before being absorbed into his armor._

**SPINNING WAVE**

_A cyclone began to swirl around his armor, causing the web on his feet to disperse in an instant before he lets out a big chop onto Spider Undead, causing it to fly a few meters away as it crashes through one of the trees while the Zebra Undead backs off for a bit. "Oi, you two ok?" Chalice asked both of them._

_"Ugh… yeah, we're fine." Garren said as he slowly stood up._

_"Those Undead are so dead." Larc said._

_"They can't die." Chalice deadpanned._

_"You get my point!" Larc snapped._

_"*Sigh* Why is it that my whole world is filled with eyesores?" Chalice muttered to himself before he roused a card from his deck._

**RECOVER**

_A hologram of Recovery Camel appeared as the light began to heal their wounds and the damage on their armors was instantly repaired. "Thanks, cousin!" Larc chirped up._

_"Just shut your trap and focused on the battle…" Chalice pointed out before he gets into a stance and ran towards the two Undead followed by Larc and Garren with their guns in hand._

* * *

"Forgive me, soldiers, but you have left me no choice!" Artur apologized to them before blasting out a ray of light onto them, killing them immediately. "May you all rest in peace…"

Lute focused onto two swordsmen as she just looks at them with a smile on her face. "With this distance, even the two of them won't be able to get near me…" She said confidently before the two of them rushed forward. She simply waved off while chanting a few spells before a barrier of flames appeared right in front of them, causing the swordsmen to be startled for a moment. Eirika runs through the firewall before she lunged out her rapier onto their exposed neck, killing them in an instant. "As I have thought, our tactics worked pretty well…" Lute analyzed as Eirika suffered a minor burn.

"Princess, allow me to heal you…" Moulder said as he pointed his staff to her, healing her burns and rejuvenate her back to the fullest.

"Thank you, Father Moulder." Eirika nodded at him before she runs forward to assist Artur in an instant. Unknown to them, both Lute and Moulder were surrounded by a few more soldiers, as I was still busy taking out some axe men.

"Oh my… what shall we do now?" Moulder began to get worry as the soldiers began to get close to them.

Just as those guys could end them, a slash was heard from behind the soldiers, making them drop dead. To their surprise, it was Colm, a red haired man and Melissa–sempai that slashed them out. Yes, you heard me right Melissa–sempai took them out with her Leangle Rouzer while donned in a cleric costume. Now, that's something you don't see every day…

"You guys are alright!" Moulder said in a surprise tone as Colm and Joshua began to protect Moulder and Natasha as Neimi and Lute took out a few more archers on the roof with her marksmanship.

"Melissa–sempai! You're alright!" I said to her.

"Yes, so did you." She replied back with her sincere smile. I can still remember most of the boys fell for her charms, especially her smile. At that point, we saw a knight in his 50's approaching towards me and Melissa–sempai.

"That must be the guy in charge." I told her as Melissa–sempai armed herself with her Leangle Rouzer.

"Enemy of the Empire! Death's too good for you!" He claimed before he lunges his Javelin onto our direction, specifically Melissa–sempai as I managed to push her aside before dodging it with one of my own. As he pulls his javelin back to him, I tried to rush forward, only to be blocked by a few more swordsmen from out of nowhere.

"Get off of me!" I yelled rousing two cards.

**TACKLE**

**METAL**

Two holograms of Tackle Boar and Metal Trilobite appeared and were absorbed into my armor. As it happened, I immediately rushed towards them while my whole body turns into a chunk of metal. Much to their surprise, as they tried to stab me with their swords, most of them shattered easily before I tackled them away, knocking them down in an instant. After taking them down, both of the cards' effect worn off as I looked back and looking at the result of the attack earlier. "What a rush…" I was pleased by the fact, but as I turned around, the guy in charge was already right in front of me and slashed down his javelin on my armor before pushing me back with his shield. "Gh!" I cringed in pain as Melissa–sempai went towards me and checking my condition. Seriously, why is it most of the enemies that I've faced always targeting my chest?!

"Are you alright?" Melissa asked me while pointing her Rouzer at Saar. Footsteps can be heard as Eirika ran towards my direction and kneels down to look at my condition as well.

"Kurogasa, are you okay?" Eirika asked concerned.

"I'm fine…" I gritted. Lance jumps down from the roof after taking out the remaining archers he can find as he landed next to me.

"You ok?" Lance asked me while lending me a hand.

"Yeah…" I replied as I grabbed his hand and he pulls me up. When I faced Saar, I just groaned angrily. "You have _got_ to be kidding me… where did most of his reinforcements come from?!"

"Either way, we gotta have to take them down…" the red haired man walked next to me as he introduced himself. "Oh, the name's Joshua and you have a lot of explaining to do…" He told me as Colm, Eirika, Lance, and Melissa–sempai took their stance to attack while Neimi, Artur and Lute protect Moulder and Natasha.

* * *

_"Take this!" Larc yelled rousing a card._

**SCOPE**

_A hologram of Scope Bat appeared and was absorbed into her armor, causing her to have great sense of accuracy. When she took her aim, she carefully aimed on one of the Gemini Zebra and once she's able to spot the real one, she unleashes a few shots onto it, causing the Zebra Undead to fall off as the doppelganger disappears as well._

_"This is the chance I've been waiting for!" Garren said as he fanned out his Garren Rouzer, took out two cards and roused it onto his Rouzer._

**UPPER**

**FIRE**

_Two holograms appeared as the Upper Frog and Fire Fly was absorbed into his right arm. As he clenches tightly, flames appeared on it as he makes a mad dash towards the stumbling Zebra Undead. Not given a chance for it to get a proper standing, Garren unleashes a full blown uppercut onto its jaw, causing it to crash to nearby tree before an explosion occurs._

**SPINNING DANCE**

_Chalice absorbed the three holograms of Float Dragonfly, Drill Shell, and Tornado Hawk, using the remaining of his AP as he started to spin rapidly upwards. The Spider Undead aimed its mouth to web Chalice but its web doesn't seem to work as the rapid spin from Chalice makes the web unable to stick on him._

**BLIZZARD**

_A sudden chill engulfs Spider Undead, freezing it whole before Chalice dove down and drilled his kick onto it, causing an explosion to occur as both of the Undead lies down on the ground, motionless. "Now to properly seal the Spider Undead." Garren said as he threw the Proper Blank of the Ace of Clubs to the Spider Undead. Chalice did the same thing with the Zebra Undead._ _Once the two Undead were completely absorbed into the cards, both of them flew back to their hands as we looked upon the cards that we received as our transformation has been reverted back to normal._

_"Here, you can have this… I don't need this card…" Kurai handed him the Gemini Zebra as Akira looked upon his other card that he has sealed in, Category Ace: Change Spider with a red background, which indicated that this Undead has been properly sealed._

_"That takes care of that…" Amber stretched upwards as the three of them heard a few galloping sounds heading towards them, as Seth and his group is heading towards their direction._

_"Is it done?" Seth asked Kurai, which he nodded. It is then Akira remembered something._

_"Big sis! Mind taking me to where big bro is?!" Akira asked Vanessa, which confused her for a moment._

_"Uh, sure, I guess…" Vanessa replied as Akira walks toward Amber. "Um…"_

_"Here," Amber said voluntarily handing a few suit of Clubs that she had in her disposal. "You can ask for the remaining ones from your big bro."_

_"Thanks, big sis!" Akira chirped up before he rides on the Pegasus and the two began to soar out to the sky._

_"Sure feels good to be young…" Gilliam added._

_"Just bring us back to the caravan so that I can take a rest already…" Kurai scoffed as he rested his Chalice Arrow on his back and rides on Franz's horse while Amber mounted on Gilliam's as they informed them Garcia is already at the caravan._

_"You all go ahead. I'll keep an eye out for Princess Eirika…" Seth said before they split up and went towards their destination._

* * *

"Man… this is a pain in the butt…" Lance said as he took a few heavy breaths.

"No kidding… we have a mountain of their corpses already and they still have more to annoy us…" Joshua added as most of us were exhausted after taking out all of the remaining Grado soldiers left, leaving the fresh Saar standing there and just glared at us.

"I don't know… if we can hold off… another wave…" Melissa–sempai said between breaths as Moulder and Natasha heals our wounds but not our stamina.

"HEEEEEY!" A voice yelled. We all looked towards the sky and see Vanessa and Akira riding on the Pegasus.

"Akira?" I said as the Pegasus landed near Lute and Artur before he dashed towards Lance as Vanessa took off to the sky once again.

"Hey, kiddo… what's up?" Lance asked.

"Big bro, mind if I take the remaining suit of cloves?" Akira asked him as Lance took out the remaining cards at his side deck and handed him, which was Remote Tapir and Screw Mole.

"Thanks! You guys can take a rest! Melissa–sempai and I will take care of the rest!" Akira perked up as he went towards the confused Melissa–sempai.

"We?" Melissa–sempai asked.

"Yeah! These are your cards!" Akira said as he handed her the incomplete set of cloves.

"Um… what am I supposed to do now?" She asked him.

"Just follow my lead, big sis!" He said before he took out Garren Buckle and slides in his Category Ace: Change Stag. Melissa–sempai took out her Leangle Buckle and searches her deck for Category Ace: Change Spider and slides it in onto her Leangle Buckle as she continued to copy his movements. Both of them placed it onto their waists and a deck of cards wrapped around their waists, much to her surprise.

"What _is_ this?!" Melissa–sempai panicked a bit as Akira teaches her how to do so.

"Just open the buckle while yelling out 'Henshin!' ok, big sis?" Akira assured her as she just nodded in agreement before he took his stance.

"Henshin!" both of them shouted in unison as he pulls the lever and she opens up her buckle.

**TURN/OPEN UP**

Soon Akira's hologram rectangle of the Change Stag came out in front of him. As for Melissa, a purple energy rectangle of the Change Spider came out and it scared the wits out of her. The rectangle came towards the two and both were now donned in their armor. "U–U–Um…" Melissa–sempai was a bit shaken as she just saw her new armor. She had a green bodysuit, with gold chest armor with circles on it that somewhat depicted the Club suit symbol and gloves with green linings. Gold knee pads and golden foot pads covered her legs. On her helmet, she had a cylinder helmet with golden spider motif on it with purple eyes.

Melissa–sempai had become Kamen Rider Leangle.

"W–What am I wearing?" Melissa–sempai asked a bit afraid.

"That's Leangle! Kamen Rider Leangle!" Lance shouted happily.

"Wow, things sure are getting interesting…" Joshua said with a smile.

"Melissa… what _are_ you, honestly?" Natasha said, worried over her friend.

"To be honest, I don't know." Melissa said worried herself.

"Relax, you're a Kamen Rider! A person who helps people and kick bad guy butt." Garren grinned under his mask.

"Really?" Leangle asked in confusion as Saar immediately threw his javelin at them. Much to her surprise, her reaction time was faster than before as she managed to parry it to the side with her Leangle Rouzer.

"Oh? It seems like you've reacted fast enough for my throw…" Saar added as he pulled back his javelin to his hands.

"Big bro, everyone, let us take over from here!" Garren suggested.

"Hold up. Let me join in." I said as I managed to stand up. "I wanna try something out." I then fanned out my cards and picked out two. Then after that, I brought out my Rouze Absorber and placed on my left arm which attached immediately.

"Hold on. Are you doing what I _think_ you're going to do?" Lance asked surprised and delighted.

"You bet I am." I grinned under my mask as I put one of the cards into the Rouze Absorber.

**ABSORB QUEEN**

As the pulse starts to ring in, by taking the other card, I swiped it across the card reader like I would swipe a credit card.

**FUSION JACK**

With that declaration, the plaque of the Fusion Eagle covered the Absorb Queen card. The Fusion Eagle itself appeared in golden colors before it hit me and my armor received an upgrade. As most of the parts of my armor were the same thing, the only additional thing for this upgrade is a golden plate on my chest with the spade motif having the Fusion Eagle symbol in the spade. It has sturdier shoulder pads, golden markings on my helmet and most importantly, I've received a pair of wings on my back to allow me to fly.

"What am I _seeing_ here?" Saar asked as he raised an eyebrow looking upon my transformation.

"Garren, Leangle, ikuzo!" I shouted.

"Alright!" Garren was eager to advance as Leangle could only nod while gripping her Leangle Rouzer tightly as the three of us began to attack him.

While I took off to the sky, Leangle began her attack with a few jabs onto Saar, which he retaliated with one of his own stabs with his javelin. He noticed that Garren was taking aim at him as he managed to block the shots with his shield in hand. While he was pretty much occupied with the front, his exposed back is what I'm targeting for as I managed to dive down and slash downwards, creating sparks at his back before he stumbled a few steps forward. Leangle uses her Rouzer to stab him forward as Garren helps out as well, making him moves backwards a few steps before I tripped his feet down, making him lose his balance before I jumped back to our side.

"Tch… what a move indeed… the three of you with strange powers against my own javelin with skills… what a low move indeed…" Saar hissed as he slowly stood up and the cuts on his armors were pretty obvious on him.

"That's what you get for making us tired against your troops!" Joshua taunted him.

"You reap what you sow…" Melissa added.

"No matter! I won't lose to the likes of you!" Saar yelled as he charged at us, only for us to dodge.

"Time to finish you off!" Garren said as he fanned out his cards from his Garren Rouzer, picking three and roused them.

**DROP**

**FIRE**

**GEMINI**

"Leangle, rouse the four, six, and eight of Clubs on your Rouzer!" I suggested.

"Uh, o–okay." Leangle nodded as she took the said cards and after a few second of figuring out how to do it, she roused the three cards.

**RUSH**

**BLIZZARD**

**POISON**

Meanwhile, I roused my own cards.

**SLASH**

**THUNDER**

Eight cards appeared behind us, making Natasha and Joshua surprised by the sudden amount of number of holograms. "Good divine… what _is_ that?" Natasha asked trying to understand the situation.

"Dunno… but it sure caught _my_ attention…" Joshua added as Drop Whale, Fire Fly, and Gemini Zebra enters Garren's armor, while Rush Rhinoceros, Blizzard Polar, and Poison Scorpion enters into Leangle's armor, and Slash Lizard and Thunder Deer entered into my Rouzer that I raised high as the three moves were declared.

**BURNING DIVIDE**

**BLIZZARD VENOM**

**LIGHTNING SLASH**

As my wings began to spread and soar to the sky, Garren's feet began to burn as the tip of Leangle's Rouzer was imbued with icy venom. Knowing what to do, she leaped forward and stabs it onto his armor while it penetrated through his shield. The attack connected, causing him to stumble a few steps back as Leangle pulls her Rouzer back. During that time, Garren was already at the sky, doing a few corkscrew spins until everyone was amazed that he was split into two, connecting four burning drop kicks on Saar before he kneels down facing his back on Saar. For the finale, I dove down my electrified Rouzer, slashing his armor in half to make him stumble for a bit before he kneels down and exploded on the spot.

"Emperor… Vigarde… Glory to His… Majesty…" Those were his last words before he turned solid ice due to the effect of Blizzard. I landed down to safely on the ground with Garren and Leangle meeting me and after that, the frozen Saar fell back and broke into pieces, his entire body shattering along with the ice. Thankfully, Amber wasn't here to see it.

"Hm… an attack that causes a human being to be frozen in an instant… simply intriguing…" Lute took note.

"Wow! I can't believe I actually did Burning Divide like how Tachibana–san does it!" Garren perked up.

"At least the deed is done here…" A voice was heard and we saw Seth rode along towards our spot.

"And what about those bandits?" I asked him.

"All have been taken care of…" he added.

* * *

And so with that, all of us have reverted back to normal and after everything in town was cleaned up with some of the townsfolk helping out, they gathered the bodies of the dead, Father Moulder gave the Last Rites, and then the townspeople burned the bodies in the Town Square. We all met up at an inn with the caravan parked there as well. At the inn, we were all having a meeting.

"It's great to see you again, Melissa–sempai, despite the circumstances." I said sheepishly rubbing the back of my head.

"It's great to see you too." Melissa–sempai smiled. "And it's great to see you too, Amber, Storm, and Akira."

"Likewise." The three in question said in unison.

Melissa–sempai then looked at Kurai, who was sweating beads of sweat for some reason. "Well, well, well, if it isn't Kurai."

"Uh… hi." Kurai managed to get out.

"So, have you been nice to others lately, or do you still call everyone around you an eyesore?" She replied with a smile, but for some reason, Kurai took a few steps back as if he can see the true nature of Melissa–sempai behind that smile of hers.

Kurai gulps down while trying to act like himself, "Well… those who don't do a good job is better to be called eyeso–"

*STOMP*

"Yeouch!" Kurai cringed in pain after Melissa–sempai hits his toe using her staff.

"I'm sorry, what did you just say just now?" She asked him again.

"N–Nothing…" Kurai said quietly.

"Note to self, never judge a book by its cover…" Colm spoke, as Neimi nodded in agreement.

"Anyways, Melissa–sempai, how did you get here?" I asked.

"Funny you should mention that…" Melissa–sempai began to ponder for a bit before she started talking. "Well, I was in the middle of studying and all of the sudden, my little brother came into my room with this staff that he carries along with him." She added while showing us the mentioned staff. "When he wanted me to follow him to the convention that he mentioned before, I said to him that I can send him there, which he was happy. He forgot something at his room, so he left the staff on my bed before running towards his room. When I tried to follow him as I grabbed the staff, this… dark swirling pool appeared in front of me and it took me to this world."

"And that time, both of us met and she explained to us about the situation she was in. In the end, I helped her by making her disguised as a cleric." Natasha supported.

"Oh man…" Amber said solemnly. "I bet your little brother's really worried about you."

"I know… I was just hoping to find my way back home so that he'll be alright…" Melissa–sempai said concerned.

"Don't worry, we'll find our way home…" Storm assured his sempai, as she replied back with a smile on her face.

"In the meantime, I suggest we should all get some rest… we've had a rough day…" Seth suggested.

"But before that, we need to know why you two were chased by Grado soldiers." Eirika said.

"I shall tell you my tale…" Natasha began. "A few days past, my mentor was arrested without warning. They executed him." She explains to us, making us a bit surprised.

"But why would they do _that_?!" Amber asked.

"Probably he screwed things up…" Kurai said it nonchalantly before he felt the chill coming from Melissa–sempai's soft glare at him.

"No… they said he was a traitor… But those were false accusations!" She exclaimed as she began to get worried. "The emperor had him killed– A holy man–! To keep him silent…" She added as she sobs before Melissa–sempai comforts her.

"Why would he do such a thing?" Eirika asked her.

"It's because the Emperor plans to destroy what he called the Sacred Stones…" Melissa told us, which makes the rest of us shocked by the claim as Natasha calms down.

"Destroying the Sacred Stones?" Storm asked.

"I apologize, but I've never heard of these Sacred Stones before. Can you tell us exactly what they are and how they came to be?" I asked.

"Come to think of it, this is the first time we've heard such a thing ever since we've got here…" Amber added.

"It must be something important…" Akira throws in his two cents.

"If you must know, the Sacred Stones drove back the power of evil long ago. Even now, each of our nations is home to one of these legendary treasures. There's one in my homeland, Grado, and one in your Renais…" Natasha pointed out to Eirika.

"Yes, the Sacred Stone of Renais is still housed in our royal temple." Eirika told her but for some reason Seth's expression seems to change a bit.

"The Emperor plans to destroy the five stones, one by one…" Natasha implied, causing us having another shock of our own.

"Oh? And why would that be?" Kurai asked as he crossed his arms.

"Why would he do such a thing? Legend says the Sacred Stones are even now all that keeps evil at bay!" Seth pointed out.

"I cannot begin to guess his motives…" Natasha sighed. "You must know our Emperor was a gentle man. But one day, he changed. Utterly. Before my mentor died, he said the keepers of the Sacred Stones must be warned. Melissa and I tried to slip across the border, but the soldiers spotted us…"

"Is that what happened…" Erika mused quietly.

"Yes, and because of what happened, Natasha decided to bring me along as well, for my sake as they also knew that I'm not one of them…" Melissa added.

"I guess this is what I call lucky encounter…" Joshua began to speak. "If it wasn't for that little bet, I would've chopped their heads off, even though it would leave a bad taste in my mouth…"

"Yes, and I thank you for being our side, Joshua." Natasha said gladly, which he just smiled at her while tilted his hat down.

"Then, what should we do for now?" Gilliam asked.

"For the time being, we should rest and continue to venture out tomorrow. Those guards won't be here until two days later, which is more than enough for us to continue our journey, from what I heard." Colm added after he had done his spying work.

* * *

That night… in my room, getting all my armor off, and laying in my bed, I really couldn't sleep. I mean, how _could_ I, after everything we heard from Natasha? You can't just sleep it off like it was nothing. Something tells me that things are just about to get more dangerous from here on out. I really didn't need this. I need something to calm me down. I needed to play a song. Whenever I feel stressed out, I always play some song just to relax. And I know just the song to play. And that was Lugia's song. Luckily for me, I bought something at the convention before I came to this world. Getting off the bed, and into my bag, I pulled out an exact replica of the ocarina that the character Melody played in Pokémon: The Movie 2000. Not to mention, that it plays just like it sounds in the movie. So with that, I opened up my window, sat on the window sill with one leg on it, and the other hanging on the inside of the room, closed my eyes and began to play.

* * *

_Eirika was in her room contemplating about things. Especially on what Natasha said. She went to the window and opened it, arms on the window sill looking at the night sky, the stars, and the moon, and…_

_What was that lovely yet mesmerizing and mysterious melody? _

_The tune somehow calmed her down after hearing it as when she found out the source of the tune, she was surprised to know Kurogasa was the one playing the song as she was somehow mesmerized by the tone. "It's… beautiful…" Eirika said while her eyes are closed, accompanied by the soft blow of the wind._ _He had his eyes closed the whole time, playing a mysterious and mesmerizing piece on his ocarina. It was… the most beautiful thing she had ever heard._

* * *

As soon as the song was finished, I slowly opened up my eyes after taking a deep breath and noticed Eirika listening to the song as her eyes were still closed. It turns out our rooms were next to each other. "Eirika?!" I asked shocked for a bit almost falling off as Eirika opened up her eyes as slowly both of us began to have a blush and she was panicking for a moment.

"U–Um… I was just… having some fresh air… I just couldn't sleep, that's all…" She stuttered for a bit while looking away from him.

"Um… yeah… me either." I got out. We were silent for a while, until I spoke up. "Um… so… you heard it huh?"

"Yes, I heard it…" Eirika said while looking away from me. "It was beautiful…"

"T–Thanks…" I got out as I began to ask something to her, "Um… how about you come to my room and we can talk here for a while… maybe I'll play that music again…"

"Um…" Eirika tried to reply, only to have Amber pop out from her window.

"Hey, what are you two doing this time?!" Amber asked us. Just when did she know about her timing?

"Nothing!" We both said in unison.

"Oh? Even agreeing on the same term, huh?" Amber said with a smirk before Eirika pushed her in and looked at me. "I'm sorry for this, Kurogasa… maybe some other time." She said before she closed the window.

* * *

_She confronted Amber while her blush was still on her face. "Amber, why would you do that?"_

_"There's something that I want to discuss with you…" Amber said with a serious tone, getting Eirika's attention._

_"What is it?" Eirika asked her._

* * *

CLIFF HANGER! Man, you just hate those do you? Well, you're gonna have to wait! Also, once again, a 10,000+ word chapter has been made courtesy of me and The Wild Fang. We make a pretty darn good team. And what's best, Kamen Rider Leangle has officially made the debut in this chapter and story all together! Also, we got two more Undead to add to the collection for our Kamen Riders!

**Spades:** A, 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, J, Q  
**Diamonds:** A, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, **9**, 10  
**Hearts:** A, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 9  
**Clubs:** **A**, 2, 3, 4, 6, 8, 10

There you have it people! So now, you know what to do people! Review!


	7. Chapter 5x: Moonstone's Vice

Hey there guys, it's time for another chapter of Kamen Rider Blade: The Sacred Stones. Now you're probably thinking that I'm gonna do Chapter 5x. In a sense, yes, but this chapter happens during Ephraim's invasion of Renvall, which I will not do. In other words, this chapter is all original made by yours truly and The Wild Fang. So, hope you enjoy it!

Disclaimer: Same thing.

Chapter 5x: Moonstone's Vice

* * *

_"There's something that I want to discuss with you…" Amber said with a serious tone, getting Eirika's attention._

_"What is it?" Eirika asked._

_Amber pondered for a moment before she got straight to the point. "Since the last few days, you two have been avoiding each other and it's rare to see Kurogasa keeping quiet like… THAT much! So, that could only mean one thing…" Amber said as she got closer to Eirika's face, much to her confusion. "Something happened that time, right?"_

_"Um… uh…" Eirika got out._

_Amber crossed her arms while tapping her foot, continuing to wait for her answer. After a while, she lets out a sigh. "He must've fallen on top of you, right?"_

_"Huh?! N–No, I–It's not like that!" Eirika tried to deny, which made Amber smile for a bit._

_"Oh, don't worry about it. Same thing happened to me with my boyfriend once…" Amber admitted._

_"Really?" Eirika blinked._

_"Yep. It happened and then Kurai walked in on us. He was about to beat Storm to a pulp until I stopped him."_

_"Oh my…" Eirika said a bit surprised._

_"I know… that's why I can't forget that first gaze we had with each other. Our faces were flushing, our hearts were beating fast, and when he's on top of you, you couldn't help but feel defenseless." Amber stated as she placed her hands on her chest while closing he eyes to remember the moment. "I can't forget about that experience… not in a million years."_

_"I… see…" Eirika said. "The same thing happened to me. I couldn't do anything. When he was… on top of me, looking at me, I was completely defenseless at that point. I couldn't do anything." She admitted._

_"Do you like him?" Amber asked._

_Eirika was hesitant for a moment before she looks at Amber with a slight flush on her face. "Will you… promise me to keep quiet about it?"_

_"Of course!" Amber perked up._

_"…I do…" Eirika finally got out as Amber smiled at her._

_"It finally feels better after letting it out from your chest while talking to someone, right?" Amber asked her._

_"I guess…" Eirika said._

_"Well, I'll talk to Kurogasa and clear the air with him. I know I've been teasing him a lot, but since this is something related to Storm and I, that's a different story."_

_"He's been really embarrassed about it." Eirika added._

_"I know, and I really enjoy teasing him about it, and I do plan to continue doing so…" Amber giggled before she began to walk out from her room. "Well, you better get some sleep. We got a long day tomorrow!" She said as she walks out of her room and closed the door before she walked to another direction, seeing Storm heading towards Kurogasa's room since he'll be crashing at his room as well._

_"Hey, what were you doing at Eirika's room?" Storm asked._

_"Oh, it's nothing much… just have a girl talk between us." Amber replied back with a smile as Storm noticed something._

_"Are you going to speak to him or tease him?" Storm asked her._

_"Both, of course!" Amber replied back._

* * *

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK

"What the– Who the heck's knocking _this_ late?" I wondered as I went to the door to open it and it was… Amber…

"Hey Kurogasa, can I come in?" Amber asked.

"Uh… sure." I said as I let her in.

"I know."

"Eh?" I asked confused.

"I know. I know about that incident that happened a few nights back between you and Eirika. About when you were on top of her." She smiled mischievously.

"WHAT?!" I squawked in surprise. Aw crap, she knows! She knows! Oh man, it's over! She's gonna tease me to no end now! Wait a minute, how the heck does she know though? It was then I started to get angry. That Kurai bastard! He said he was gonna forget everything he saw that night!

"And if you're thinking that Kurai told me, no he didn't. I figured it out all by myself." Amber said.

"Eh? Really?!" I asked her.

"It's not _that_ hard to figure out once you've seen the obvious points… I bet Storm already told you about us, right?" Amber asked me, which I nodded in agreement.

"I already promised that I'd keep it a secret, remember? She figured it out all by herself…" Storm reminded me as he wasn't the type of guy who will leak out any secret information.

"T–Then…" I stuttered, as Amber kept that mischievous smile on her face.

"To think that you finally get yourself a girlfriend while keeping it quiet from the others… that's just _soo_ cute of you, Kurogasa!" Amber giggled as she continued to tease me.

"And what about _you_? I bet _you_ must've done the same thing as well before Storm accepted you as his girlfriend!" I tried to retaliate.

"Of course! There's no need to cover it up once it's been official!" Amber admitted.

"Yeah, and I'm the one that made the first move, of course…" Storm supported. I didn't say anything after that looking away from them and my face was completely red of humiliation and embarrassment.

"Aw~, Kurogasa's all red as a tomato!" Amber squealed as Storm shook his head before he pushed her out of the door.

"C'mon, Amber. Kurogasa and I need to get some sleep. We'll see you tomorrow, alright? That way, you can tease him a lot…" He said with a sweat drop before they've reached the door. Before Storm closes the door, he immediately gave Amber a peck on her lips unexpectedly, making her slightly blush before she left us alone. "Well, that takes care of that…"

"I'm telling Melissa–sempai that you two were being mean to me." I mumbled.

"I didn't plan all of this, Kurogasa…" Storm told me before he lies on his bed and shifted his body to my direction. "Besides, even if I do want to be mean about it, I'm just stating the obvious things… which rarely happens…" He said before he closed his eyes and immediately lets out a snore.

Tomorrow's gonna be a pain…

* * *

The next day, I immediately went to Melissa–sempai's door and knocked on it. "Sempai, are you awake? It's me Kurogasa." I whispered.

As soon as the door opened, instead of Melissa-sempai, it was Natasha instead in the room. "Oh, good morning. How can I be of service, Kurogasa?"

"Um, is Melissa–sempai in there?" I asked her.

"She is taking her bath. Is something the matter?" Natasha asked me concerned. "If you like, I'll listen to all of your troubles… it is one of my duties to the people…"

"Oh no, it's ok. I can wait. This is something I can only talk to Melissa-sempai about and only her. Thank you though." I said politely.

"Oh, I see. It must be something important, correct? I'll let her know about it…" Natasha replied before she closed the door and I waited for her. After five minutes, the door opened up and it was Melissa-sempai that came out with her cleric clothing this time.

"Kurogasa, I heard what Natasha told me. Is something the matter?" Melissa-sempai asked.

"Yeah…" I got out. I then explained everything that happened last night. As she listened to my words, she was smiling from the fact that I liked Princess Eirika, and then frowned a bit when I told about Amber's teasing. "So in a nutshell, Amber's being mean to me with her teasing and I'm sensitive about this kind of stuff." I said with my face slightly red.

"Oh, Kurogasa. There's nothing wrong about being in love… it's a blessing to have such a thing in life." Melissa–sempai consoled me. "If you want to know, Amber also seeks the same advice to me whenever there's love involved in it as well. She may tease you a lot, but it only shows that she cares for you. If you want, I can tell her to not to tease you that much." Melissa–sempai suggested to me.

"Well… alright. It's just that I'm really sensitive about this kind of stuff."

Without a second thought, Melissa–sempai embraced me gently like how a mother does so to her children before she whispered to me something important. "Just follow what your heart tells you. It's _your_ destiny to decide for your future…" She advised me as she slowly backed off for a bit before letting out a smile of her own. "Just stay strong and true to yourself, alright?"

"Alright." I smiled. "Arigatou, sempai."

* * *

_As Kurogasa walked away after getting some advice, Melissa enters her room with a smile on her face. Natasha seemed a bit confused about it as she began to ask, "What seems to be troubling Kurogasa?"_

_"It's nothing much, Natasha… it's just about young love…" Melissa added as she sits next to her._

_"It must be such a wonderful feeling." Natasha replied._

_"Yes, I agree with you. Who would have thought that the Kurogasa I knew is slowly becoming a good man? I can see a bright future in his eyes…" Melissa said while looking blankly at the ceiling._

_"I wonder… if our destiny has already been written for us." Natasha said._

_"Destiny is for us to decide whether we want to follow it or not. Even you have someone in mind, am I correct?" Melissa asked her friend._

_"What do you mean by_ that_?"_

_"We may serve for the people, but there are times where even we have someone in mind…" Melissa pointed out as Natasha looks outside the window as pondering on the words she said._

_"Someone… in mind…"_

* * *

And so after having breakfast at the local inn, and restocking on supplies, mostly food since the number of people we have is growing, we were just about to leave for our march towards Renvall in hopes that possibly Ephraim might still be there. "So, where to next?" I asked.

Seth took a look upon his map as he placed it onto a table as Akira also took a look on it as well, to give his opinion on it. "If we continue along this path through the forest, there's a possibility we might reach there faster than we thought…" Seth said as Akira nods a few times.

"At the same time, there's a village after we head through that forest before having to go through another one to get to Renvall…" Akira added.

"We may have to face some difficulties along the way such as a little harsh roads and trying to get passed through a small river, but it is much better than to go through the main road as there are Grado Soldiers to attack us…" Seth further informed.

"And then after that, we'll have to cross the Adlas Plains, before finally reaching Renvall." Akira further added.

"Sounds like a plan to me." I said.

As Seth rolls out his map and held it into his hand, Melissa-sempai walks towards us to know what to do next. "Are we ready to go now? I can inform them if we are ready…" Melissa–sempai said, which Akira steps forward.

"Yep! I was about to go in and tell them we're heading off soon, big sis!" Akira chirped up as she gently pats on his head with her smile.

"Then, we can tell them together, alright?" Melissa–sempai suggested as Akira nodded happily before the two ran towards the inn. Just as I was about to enter the carriage, Eirika was there as well, as both of us were a bit surprised for a moment.

"Uh… hey, Eirika…" I got out.

"Um… hi…" Eirika greeted before silence accompany us for a moment.

It was then I was about to break the ice, "About last night…"

"It was beautiful… t–the music that you've played…" Eirika said with a slight blush.

"Um… thanks." I said.

"Where did you learn that music from?" Eirika asked.

"It's something I learned back in my world." I shrugged. "There's even a legend that goes with that song."

"Really?" Eirika asked interested.

"Uh–huh." I said before taking a deep breath to recite it.

Disturb not the harmony of Fire, Ice, or Lightning  
Lest these Titans wreak destruction upon the world in which they clash  
Though the Water's Great Guardian shall arise to quell the fighting  
Alone its song will fail, thus the earth shall turn to ash.

O Chosen One, into thine hands bring together all three  
Their treasures combined tame the Beast of The Sea

From the trio of islands, ancient spheres shall you take  
For between life and death, all the difference you'll make  
Climb to the shrine to right what is wrong  
And the world shall be healed by the Guardian's song

"That sounds… deep…" Eirika added as both of us began to have that gaze once again. I can't help but to have a blush of my own after seeing a beautiful face like hers. But, as soon as the rest of the group walked toward us, she shook it off before she entered into the carriage as the others began to join in.

"Phew! Good thing I had a good meal! Now, onward with the adventure!" Amber pointed out as she also gets onto the caravan.

"*Sigh* Just as long as the adventure makes it interesting, I'm fine with it…" Kurai added as he enters in.

"May our journey be a safe one. I shall pray for our safety…" Natasha added as Melissa–sempai was followed suit.

"I wish for that also, Natasha…" Melissa–sempai said.

"Alright, shall we get going?" Franz suggested as everyone has ridden on the caravan and some have mounted on their horses and Pegasus.

And so we continued on our journey towards Renvall. Seth said that at most we _should_ be arriving at Renvall within two weeks. Hopefully, during that time span and the time we get there, Ephraim would still be there. As of now, it's almost the end of the first week and it was just about a day's journey before we arrive at the Adlas Plains. And from there, it would take another week before arriving at Renvall.

* * *

_While they were at it, Colm and Neimi were in the middle of a conversation in another caravan they have to guard for the time being._

_"Neimi." Colm got out, which surprised her for a moment._

_"Oh, hi, Colm… what's the matter?" Neimi spoke to him._

_"Oh, nothing much… and stop being said normally as if nothing's happened! You need to concentrate in battle!" He told her, which she sulked for a bit._

_"I was just being polite…" She muttered before the two was silent for a bit._

_It was then Colm began to put his two cents in, "I never thought I'd see you on the battlefield."_

_"Well, I might not be the best, but when something needs to be done… I do it." Neimi added as a smirk appeared on Colm's face._

_"It's amazing how war affects people. I mean, look at you. You're a bumbling crybaby, but even you've pulled yourself together temporarily." He began to praised her rudely, making Neimi began to tear up._

_"Um…"_

_"When we were little, you followed me everywhere, tripping and crying…" He added._

_At this point, Neimi was on a verge of tears, "Oh! Sniff… Why are you always so mean? Waaa!" Neimi cried out loud, causing Colm to be startled before he pulls her close to him, just to calm her down before he continued to speak._

_"And now look at you! You're still following me everywhere, tripping and crying, but now you're doing it on the battlefield. Will you PLEASE stop your boo–hooing?"_

_Neimi calmed down after a short while as she wipes off her tears from her eyes before continued, "Sniff… Ok… I'll try…"_

_Colm groans for a bit before spoke back, "Man, you can't do anything without me, can you! And stop crying!"_

_"But… Sniff…"_

_"What is it?!" Colm exploded on her, causing Neimi to be startled for a moment before she replied back to him in a low, scared tone._

_"You're the one who's… making me cry." she pointed out, causing Colm to flinch for a moment before he looked away._

* * *

Meanwhile, with Moulder and Gilliam…

_Gilliam approaches to Moulder as he has been silent over the last few days. "How are your ears today, Moulder? Can you still hear that melody?" Gilliam raised the question._

_"No, I haven't heard it for a while. I guess it was a hallucination after all." He told his friend in a relief tone._

_"Regardless of the cause, I'm glad that you don't hear it anymore."_

_"I'm relieved, too, but… I also miss it somewhat." Moulder told him, which makes Gilliam raised his eyebrow in confusion as Moulder began to remember something regarding the music, "The melody was haunting me, and I finally remember what it was."_

_"And?" Gilliam asked him, getting his horse closer to the caravan to listen to what he has to say, "What was the song?"_

_"That was the music played at King Hayden's coronation." Moulder pointed out._

_"Frelia's coronation hymn…" Gilliam pondered for a bit before he remembered what Moulder meant by that as he began to recall it, "Ah, I remember it well… It is a strong song, and Frelia's knightly choir performed it well." He added, as Moulder nodded in agreement._

_"I was the one who carried the crown to the throne. I was so nervous that I might drop it!" Moulder expressed, causing Gilliam to laugh until he calmed down and continued his conversation._

_"I remember that you were the one to bear that regal burden. I was a mere recruit, stuck in the back with the other whelps. You know, I remember now… Your hands shook like you were frozen!" He implied, making Moulder to be a bit surprised._

_"Yes, and then someone shouted, in a loud voice, "Get a hold of yourself, man!" The crown slipped, and I fumbled to catch it! I was so embarrassed." Moulder said it as both of them shared the laughter together._

_"I'm so sorry." Gilliam apologized for a moment, making Moulder confused by his words for a moment, "I was young. You know, I felt so bad that I have spent years making it up to you. I acted before I thought. I'm sorry for all the embarrassment I caused."_

_Moulder had a surprised look on his face as he recalled something as well. "That's right! I believe I met you the very next day. Aha! I've figured it out!"_

_"Figured what out?"_

_"That melody– I could only hear it when I was with you. That means…"_

_"Yes?" Gilliam was anticipating the answer what Moulder has to say._

_"It was a sign. A sign from above that we must both return to the basics."_

_"Return to the basics? What does–" At first, Gilliam thought it was something irrelevant, until it hit him, which caused him to fully understand what Moulder has to say, "Ah. Of course."_

_"Yes. We must remember who we were and what drove us to join this cause." Moulder explained._

_"I believe you are right, my friend…" Gilliam agreed to him as both of them are now in a same train of thoughts._

* * *

I was in the carriage with Eirika and unfortunately with Amber and Kurai in it as well. Mainly Amber, Akira and Storm are talking with Ross and Garcia, while Melissa–sempai and Natasha seemed to have a good chat with each other. Kurai was just… silent, keeping himself isolated from the others. "So… are there any other songs you can play?" Eirika asked me.

"Well, there is one other song that I know of… and I think I can play it well with the ocarina in hand…" I told her as I played the song with an ocarina in hand. It is one of the songs from another Pokémon movie. The song was called Oracion from Pokémon: The Rise of Darkrai. I closed my eyes and started to play on it.

The flow of the song that I played somehow caused everyone to stop chattering and listen to my music, with the exception of Storm that covered his ears due to the fact he wasn't really a fan of this kind of song, but he didn't hate it for that. It's just… it's not his cup of tea as J–Pop is one of his things. Anyhow, as the song was played, everyone seemed to be mesmerized by the song, if Kurai was actually listening to it.

"Just what is that song?" Franz asked Seth.

"Probably someone was playing from the caravan…" Seth pointed out.

"Whatever it might be, it seems good to my ears…" Vanessa added.

After I finished playing, I opened my eyes to look at everyone. "So… how was it?" I asked shyly.

"Well…" Eirika said but before she was about to respond to my tone, all of the sudden, the whole caravan was stopped in its track as Seth began to shout something from outside.

"More fiends?!" Seth exclaimed.

It was then Kurai snickered for a moment before praising me… well, more like get on my nerves, "Congratulations, kiddo. You just attracted more attention than ever… you truly are an eyeso–"

*STOMP*

"Iteeeeeeeee!" Kurai shouted in pain as Melissa–sempai hits his toe with her Leangle Rouzer.

"Now, now… mind your words around those who are younger than you are, Kurai…" Melissa–sempai told him while keeping her smile in check as the rest of the group moved out from the caravan to see… another Undead with a bunch of DarkRoaches?!

"Oh great… they're swarming at the back as well…" Colm added as swarms of DarkRoaches increased in numbers as they have completely surrounded the group.

"Minna, over there!" Akira pointed out as an Undead has making an appearance at the front. It has a lion mask on its face with golden hair that covers its back, has golden plate armor at the front, thick body suit that was covered in spikes and wields a claw on its hand. It lets out a growl to threaten the riders as they prepared themselves for the battle. This was the Lion Undead.

"Great… this isn't what I expected…" Storm muttered.

"It can't be helped, big bro… sooner or later, we gotta face them…" Akira told him.

"If that's the case, we might as well finish them off before they hurt our friends…" Melissa–sempai said as she gripped tightly onto her Leangle Rouzer, which opens up the blades of her Rouzer to form a clove on it.

"Let's do this everybody!" I said as me, Akira, Kurai, Melissa-sempai, Storm, and Amber took out our cards and placed them in our buckles. Decks of cards wrapped around our waists and pulsing noises could be heard.

"Henshin!" We cried in unison activating our belts.

**TURN/OPEN UP**

**CHANGE**

Three buckles have been opened, two buckles have been turned and one buckle has been roused as six holograms of our Category Ace appears, pushing some of them to the back before the six of us were donned within the armor. "Father Moulder, cavalries and long range attackers, defend the back! The rest of us will hold off to the front!" Akira gave the command as all of us began to advance to our targets.

* * *

_Meanwhile, at the sky, one of the commanders is soaring at the sky with his Wyvern as he was heading his way towards his destination with another group of Wyverns in his disposal._

_"So, Prince Ephraim is now heading towards Castle Renvall, huh? Good, just as what I've planned for…" Valter seemed satisfied until he looked down and noticed a swarm of black on the ground attacking a group of travelers and much to his surprise, a certain someone that has caught his attention… and not to mention the Kamen Riders at the ground as well. "Ah~, it's the little princess that tried to make an escape and what's this? There're six of them now? Heh heh… this is getting interesting indeed…" Valter chuckled before he commanded his soldiers to dive down a few meters away from the swarm to hide themselves and prepare their own ambush while the Riders were still busy handling the swarms of DarkRoaches._

_"Not only will I test their abilities, I have my own plans for the girl…" Valter chuckles a few more times before his whole troop landed on the ground and wields his lance, the Obsidian before slowly walking his way towards them, undetected._

* * *

"Try this on for size!" I yelled out while rousing a card on my Rouzer to initiate it.

**SLASH**

The hologram of the Slash Lizard was absorbed into my Rouzer, enhancing its slashing powers. Setting my target on sight, I slashed through the army of DarkRoaches. One slash was all it took to turn them into a puff of green smokes. "Man, these guys just keep coming…" I said feeling annoyed before I continue to advance towards them to take out some more. Meanwhile Garren was going trigger happy like there's no tomorrow. He immediately took out three cards and roused it to initiate it.

**BULLET**

**RAPID**

**FIRE**

The holograms of Bullet Armadillo, Rapid Pecker, and Fire Fly appear behind him before entered his armor, declaring the move right after that.

**BURNING SHOT**

With that announcement was made, he fired a volley of fire bullets hitting his targets, disintegrating them into a puff of green smokes. Just as when the numbers were getting lower, another swarm of them appears out of nowhere, which makes Garren groan before he continued to shoot them out with his Garren Rouzer. Meanwhile, Leangle and Lance stabbed them with quick rapid successions.

"Um, Lance, was it? How do I use this card?" Leangle asked him while showing him the Stab Bee.

"Simple, just rouse it at your staff!" Lance told her before she swipes it like a credit card before the Rouzer announced it.

**STAB**

The hologram of the Stab Bee entered Leangle's Rouzer, causing the tips of the cloves to have spikes on it as she continued stabbing them for efficiently and effectively.

**MIGHTY**

The hologram of Might Impact was absorbed into Lance's Rouzer and he thrusts forward at a group of DarkRoaches before giving out another slash at his back, causing them to explode in an instant.

"That's some move you did there…" Joshua complimented before he does a slash of his own onto the three DarkRoaches before jumping back to not inhale the green smoke.

"Yeah, and not to mention these smokes are smelly!" Colm added before he dashes forward.

Chalice and Larc shot some energy arrows from their Rouzers as Chalice took out three cards from his deck and roused it onto his Rouzer on his Chalice Arrow.

**FLOAT**

**DRILL**

**TORNADO**

The three holograms of the Float Dragonfly, Drill Shell, and Tornado Hawk entered his armor before the move was declared.

**SPINNING DANCE**

"Let's take a spin, shall we?" Chalice declared before he began to spin around in the air as a cyclone picked up and flew around hitting a row of DarkRoaches and destroying them utterly with his drill kick.

**SCOPE**

The holograms of the Scope Bat entered Larc's armor, giving her a great sense of accuracy as she pulls the trigger onto the incoming DarkRoaches that was about to swarm her, with her arrows, destroying them in an instant as Eirika backs off to her side.

"Why don't they decrease in number?" Eirika asked.

"Because their leader is still there, that's what!" Larc said annoyed by the fact before she unleashes a few more shots onto them.

"In that case, I'll take care of the leader!" I said charging towards the Lion Undead after slashing away a few more DarkRoaches to clear the path.

"Wait, Kurogasa! I'm going with you!" Eirika shouted before she followed suit.

"Ah, wait, big sis! The Undead are different from the rest!" Garren tried to warn her but it seemed like she didn't listen to it as he had no other choice but to make way for her by shooting some DarkRoaches that tried to block her.

"I'll follow her to be sure she's alright!" Lance added as he leaped high and jumped above their heads, hopping them from one place to another.

"W–Wait, what about me?!" Leangle asked a bit surprised before Garcia and Ross came to her aid.

"Don't worry, young lady. You'll be alright in our care!" Garcia comforts her.

I charged towards the Lion Undead and roused a card.

**TACKLE**

As I rushed forward, the Tackle Boar instantly entered into my armor, charging forward onto the Undead, but it played smart as it leaped high, letting me crash through a few trees before it pulled me out to deliver one of its own fist right at my gut, causing me to skid back a few meters, crashing onto Lance while he's trying to stop my momentum. Luckily for me, he was able to hold his ground as Eirika stopped midway and the three of us regrouped to face the Undead.

"That's one punch you got hit there…" Storm commented.

"Eirika, I suggest you step back on this one. Like Garren said, this Undead is something you don't want to mess with…"

"No! I will continue to fight, for the sake of our peace!" Eirika claimed.

"But–!"

"I said no!" Eirika insisted. Seriously, why do girls always win an argument?

"Okay, just be careful. I can't let anything happen to you." I sighed in defeat.

"Well now, let's not keep the lion waiting for us…" Lance decided as he took his stance before the three of us rushed forward to the Undead. At first, Lance started off with a thrust of his own, being blocked by its claw. With Lance being a decoy, Eirika began to fence her way through by stabbing a few times on its face, clearly annoying it instead of hurting it. It managed to push Lance out of the way before it tried to claw her, but I managed to block the attack for her with my Rouzer in hand. Seeing the opening, she thrusted her rapier through its chest and Lance immediately slashes its side, causing it to stumble for a bit before I delivered a kick on its face, causing it to fall down for a moment.

"How do you like that, Undead?!" Lance taunted it for a moment as it stood up on its two feet, before it summons out a few DarkRoaches at its disposal.

"Shouldn't have said anything Lance." I groaned shaking my head. Lance lets out a nervous laugh as we made our way through back to the enemy. The battle heats on as the three of us continued to slash them out in any direction they might come from. Green blood of the Undead was on our blades after we took out most of them as Eirika suddenly rushed forward towards the Lion Undead, alone! "Eirika, get back!" I shouted at her before two more of these creeps blocked my way. Even Lance was occupied with some of them, as some of them were on his back as he struggled to shake them off.

Despite the Undead having a massive body, her speed and agility was all it took to overcome its attacks as she managed to puncture a few stabs onto its body, though it didn't affect it that much. As the Lion Undead slashes down its claw, she immediately stepped forward to dodge it before giving it a stab onto its chest. But, we didn't expect what happened next as his free hand was very close to her chest. It tightly clenched its fist and delivered to her a one inch punch directly onto her chest armor, causing her to stumble back before letting out bad coughs a few times while she was on her knees, which fortunately no blood was involved.

"Eirika!" I shouted then slashed at the DarkRoaches so I can clear the path. Lance managed to shake them off too and I ran towards Eirika while Lance dealt with the Lion Undead. "Are you okay?" I asked frantically.

Eirika continued to cough out a few more before she began to speak in pain, "Yes… I'm alright…"

"Thank goodness you're ok!" I said in relief before I saw Lance being punched to the face by Lion Undead's free fist, causing him to stumble back before it unleashed a slash on his helmet, making him dizzy even more before it finished off with a strong uppercut on his chin, clearly knocking him down and landed next to me.

"Ite! That's one blow on my chin!" Storm cringed in pain while holding his lower part of his helmet.

"Stay here Eirika. I'll deal with this." I said then walked towards the Lion Undead. I held out two cards in inserted one into the Rouze Absorber

**ABSORB QUEEN**

I then took the other and swiped it across the Absorber.

**FUSION JACK**

With that declaration, the plaque of the Fusion Eagle covered the Absorb Queen card, changing me to my Jack Form at this point. Not only my AP has been restored to max, but with this form, I have speed _and_ strength to my advantage as the Lion Undead got into his stance once again.

"One thing I _do_ know is I can't let you have all the fun, Blade…" Lance told me as slowly, he stood up while withstanding the pain on his jaw, getting into his battle stance once again.

"Well then c'mon!" I said and flew towards the Lion Undead with Lance following me.

Both of us began to hack and slash onto the Lion Undead, as we kept switching on who's attacking and defending at the same time. The Lion Undead couldn't keep up with the slashes as more cuts were made on its skin, oozing out green blood before we ended it off with a cross slash onto it, making it tumble a few times. "Shall we end this mess?" Lance told me as he took out his Mighty Impact on his hand as the Lion Undead was still down on the ground.

"You just read my mind." I said as he roused two cards

**KICK**

**THUNDER**

Meanwhile, Lance roused a card.

**MIGHTY**

Three holograms appeared behind us as the Mighty Impact absorbed into Storm's Rouzer while Kick Locust and Thunder Deer absorbed into my armor before it was being declared as…

**LIGHTNING BLAST**

"I'm going to join as well!" Eirika said after recovering from her coughs as she prepared her stance with her rapier.

"Well… might as well end this battle with a bang…" I said before I stabbed my Rouzer onto the ground before soaring to the sky. At this time, the Lion Undead has only got onto his two feet and wasn't prepared to block from our attack. Eirika dashed first towards the Undead and gives it an "X" slash onto its chest armor, creating sparks before Lance joined along and give it a vertical slash downwards, causing more sparks to be created as it stumbles further onto the nearby tree. As the finale, I dived down and drilled my Lightning kick onto its head, causing severe destruction and destroying the tree behind him before it exploded and I landed next to the two. When the destruction of the Undead was done, all of the surviving DarkRoaches disappeared in an instant, causing the battle to be over.

"Alright! Way the go!" Larc cheered for a bit.

"Yes, it has been quite a tough battle, including trying not to inhale the green gases…" Vanessa pointed out.

"But at least we've managed to take them all out!" Franz added as I looked upon the burning Lion Undead on the ground as the tree pinned on to it to make sure it didn't move away.

"Time to seal you up." I said. I took out the Three of Spades Proper Blank and threw it at the Lion Undead. The latter was absorbed into the card before it shot back at me and I caught it. Everyone soon meet up with me and us Riders reverted back to normal. "Check it out guys!" I grinned holding up the Beat Lion card. "Another Undead sealed."

*SLASH*

Without having a second to retaliate the sudden attack, multiple slashes appeared not only on me, but also on Lance as both of us were covered in multiple black slashes before someone hit Eirika with the hilt of a lance hard, causing us to fly a few meters back, with our armor covered in slashes and Eirika coughed out some more from the attack.

"You!" Seth said in an angry tone as we all saw a man with long flowing teal hair with a sinister look on his face, donned with maroon armor with gold linings on his black shirt and pants, greaves and gloves, appears as well with his spear on his back. The said man simply bent down and took the card that I dropped earlier from the sudden slash.

"So, this is your main source of power, correct?" The sinister man said with a smirk on his face as he took a glance at it, "Beat… sounds intriguing…" He added before a shot on his hand was heard, making him drop the card as Garren rushed forward to take the card and protect us while aiming his gun at him.

"I won't let you lay your hands on these cards!" Garren shouted at him, as the man lets out a sinister laugh.

"Strange warrior, even with that 'magic' of yours, it won't do harm to me…" he taunted Garren, which the latter retaliated by shooting a few more shots at him. With a smirk on his face, he easily returned the favor by returning the attack by spinning his lance like a fan and causes Garren to take the damage instead.

"Akira–chan!" Leangle said worried as Garren's transformation cancelled out in an instant.

"Who _are_ you?!" Chalice demanded.

"And what's your beef?!" Larc asked annoyed before a chuckle was heard from him.

"Oh, where are my manners? I am Valter, one of the six Generals of Grado, simply known as Moonstone…" He introduced himself as the rest of the group helped us getting back on our feet.

"A Grado General?" I gritted.

"What's with the tone? From what _I_ heard, you strange warriors are the ones who have taken care of my soldiers over the past few weeks… but, from what I see, you are all just weaklings…" Valter taunted us, as Larc took aim at him. "Oh, don't even bother of trying to harm me, woman! I have my finest soldiers and Wyvern Riders surrounding the area…" Under his command, they began to walk out from the woods, overwhelming in numbers as the whole group felt cornered.

"We can't fight back… not in this condition we're in…" Gilliam pointed out, as they had a battle with an Undead earlier, which made most of them tired from it.

"What is it that you want _this_ time?!" Seth said angrily at him, which Valter shrugged off like it was nothing.

"Ah, the paladin that protects the princess… it seems like you're alive _after_ all. How's the wound coming along?" He mocked him, as Seth tightened his grip on his sword. It was then he shifted his attention onto Eirika. "And Princess Eirika… still beautiful as always…"

"Why are you here?!" Eirika asked him the same question that Seth asked earlier.

"Oh, me? I was just about to head towards Renvall and by such coincidence, I saw the battle at the ground during my flight… and I must say I was quite impressed by it…" Valter added as his sinister grin remains on his face. "My other reason would be… satisfying my lust of having you under my hands!"

The statement that Valter said made my blood boil. "I won't let you get Eirika!" I shouted getting in front of Eirika to protect her.

"Kurogasa…" Eirika said worriedly.

"Oh? It seems like you're trying to play hero here…" Valter snickered before he took out his black lance at his back and points it at my direction. "Why don't you try to stop me from getting what I want?"

"Don't big bro." Akira said gritting. "It's what he wants you to do."

"We'll take care of him." Larc said as Lance, Chalice, and Leangle came in front to face Valter.

Valter could only laugh as he just glared at them with a satisfied look on his face. "I was _wondering_ how strong they can really be… I might as well entertain myself… and you soldiers better not interrupt this battle, NO MATTER WHAT!" He shouted as he was immediately right in front of Chalice with such agility before he went on a rampage by slashing him in multiple places in a very quick manner. Chalice tried to retaliate back by using his Chalice Arrow to defend himself as Leangle tried to stab him with her Rouzer, but all was in vain as he was already anticipated it by sidestepping before delivering a strong kick at her gut, causing her to tumble a few times. It cancelled Melissa–sempai's transformation and she groaned in pain having Natasha go to her side. Larc unleashed a few shots of her own at him at Valter, but all of them missed.

Instead, he redirected the shots not only to her, but also to Chalice and Lance, causing it to make Larc cancel her transformation in an instant as she was also covered in wounds. Both Lance and Chalice took a step back before Chalice placed his Rouzer on his Arrow before he roused two cards onto his Rouzer.

**DRILL**

**TORNADO**

"Oh? It seems like he's going to do something good…" Valter said with a smirk before the two holograms entered Chalice as he performed a move to hit Valter for good.

**SPINNING ATTACK**

Chalice jumped high and does a corkscrew spin before delivering one of his drop kick onto Valter, which he easily blocked with his black lance, surprising Chalice for a moment. "W–What?! His lance can take the damage?!" I said in surprise before he does a quick slash onto his armor, dropping Chalice's back directly at Valter's knee before he simply pushed him aside, cancelling his transformation as well.

"If his kick didn't do the trick, maybe _this_ can!" Lance shouted as he roused a card onto his Rouzer.

**MIGHTY**

In an instant, the hologram of Mighty Impact entered into his Rouzer before Lance performs a vertical slash onto Valter… but something didn't add up…

"W–What?!" Lance said surprised. Not only the attack didn't connect at all, but Valter's black lance can take the brute force coming out from his Rouzer, which usually most of the weapons that tried to block it will instantly cut in half.

"Surprised? My Obsidian is something that cannot be destroyed with your weak powers!" He mocked him before he pushes Lance's Rouzer upwards before he does multiple stabs on his exposed body armor before he thrusted directly onto his chest armor, causing Lance to roll out a few times before his transformation canceled out as well. The result of the battle was that Valter stood still and firm on the ground, while Melissa and Amber went unconscious with the wounds on their body, while Kurai and Storm cringed in pain with a few twitches on their body as a result from his attacks. "Is _this_ the best you have to offer? I'd rather have a battle with that Paladin than going through all of this trouble fighting such weaklings… I might as well take the Princess as my puppet bride…" Valter taunted us before he lets out his sinister laugh.

"I won't let you!" I gritted as I charged at Valter.

"Kurogasa!" Eirika cried out.

"Oh, so you finally come out to play huh? Very well." Valter grinned maniacally. I began to swing my Blay Rouzer onto him as he easily blocked with his lance. He pushed me forward before trying to slash down his lance on me, which I sidestepped before swinging it horizontally, which he manages to dodged in time. Man, working together with Garcia and Seth really improved my fighting skills, compared to last time where I relied on my instincts. Sparks of blades continued to spark until eventually both of our weapons met in the middle, where we had a little confrontation. "Oh? You manage to stay on your feet? But I'm barely breaking a sweat, freak!" Valter taunted me before he got an idea. "Maybe I should think about what to do with the princess once I get my hands on her…"

"Valter, you're the most evil man I've ever seen!" Eirika hissed, which Valter just laughed at.

"Oh please, at least be honest! I'm the most evil man the _world_ has ever seen!" Valter laughed.

"You…" I growled at him before I pushed him back before I began my advance once again onto Valter. Rage was boiling inside of me as I tried to swing my blade to cleave his head off, but for some reason, he's just toying with me, even in my Jack Form! He twirled around his lance to confuse me before delivering another slash onto my armor, making me stumble back.

"Hah! I thought you would be more of a challenge! But, all I can see on you is nothing more than a weakling!" Valter taunted me further which boiled up my rage to the point of no return. I held my Blay Rouzer pointing downwards before I flew towards him as he has already prepared his stance to get me. As I tried to make a slash upwards, instead of blocking me, he immediately ducks down and does something I didn't expect at all. His black lance pierce _through_ my armor and stabbed my stomach, much to my shock and I was stunned for a moment when it happened.

"KUROGASA!" Eirika shouted in horror after seeing what just happened in front of her.

"Oh relax, I've only pierced his armor and stabbed him deep enough for him to be in slow and agonizing pain." Valter laughed as he yanked out his lance rather hard and kicked me to the group, sliding to Eirika, canceling out my transformation after.

"No way…" Ross said in disbelief on what he just witness.

"Big bro and the others got defeated…" Akira said in shock on what he just witnessed as the rest of the group began to step forward, protecting the fallen while I applied pressure onto the wound as blood kept continuing to flow out. In the end, Natasha and Moulder used their healing spell on me, just to stop the bleeding alone.

"Is this what you call the strongest warriors? I didn't even break a sweat!" Valter added before he puts away his lance on his back before his Wyvern descended to his place. "I can take the Princess at _any _time I want, but due to orders I've received from the Emperor, I must go to Renvall to settle another matter…" Valter said as he placed his lance at his back before he rode on his Wyvern. "Consider yourself lucky this time… I've got all of the information that I need regarding your strange powers and soon enough, I shall claim all of the things that I want, including your heads!" Valter laughed maniacally before he took off to the east, with the soldiers pulling back and continuing their journey, leaving us in a big humiliation.

"Kurogasa, please hang on!" Eirika began to tear up as the wound on my stomach didn't seem to heal up, causing Moulder to worry.

"The lance that he used may not be able to properly heal you…" Moulder said in concern. In the end, my whole world began to fade before I ended up unconscious due to loss of blood.

* * *

_Kurogasa was in the darkness. He couldn't see anything. That was until he saw two figures. He started to run towards the figures. But when he got close enough, his body suddenly stopped. He tried to move, but his body won't let him. He saw the two figures and gasped in horror of what he was seeing. It was Eirika. She was on the ground pinned down, helpless to do anything and on top of her, was Valter!_

_"Please, stop… PLEASE!" Eirika begged, as tears streamed down her face._

_"That's it, scream! Call Kurogasa! He's not going to save you!" Valter shouted, laughing at her. He then did something to make Eirika scream even louder._

_"Stop…PLEASE STOP!" Eirika screeched. "STOOOOPPPP!"_

_"Beg, Princess Eirika, beg! Beg for your innocence!" Valter yelled, continuing to laugh at her. "It makes it much more fun for me that way. I shall tame and make you become my bride!"_

_"EIRIKA!" Kurogasa cried in horror. He has to save Eirika! He just _has_ to! "You bastard! Let her go!" He tried to run so he could save Eirika, but his body wouldn't let him go._ 'I can't move by body! Move! Move! Move!' _Then, at that point, the man stopped. Kurogasa saw why because when Valter stopped, Eirika screamed a very horrified scream and it made Valter laugh insanely._

_"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"_

* * *

"EIRIKA!" I shouted waking up.

Eirika was next to my side as she was shocked by my scream earlier. After a while, a jolt of pain ran through my stomach as I noticed there was a bandage wrapped around my waist with a patch on it. Without hesitation, she suddenly hugged me before breaking down into tears. "Kurogasa, thank goodness you're awake!" Eirika cried.

"I'm sorry…" I said returning the hug before she let go of me. "Where's Valter?"

"He… allowed us to live…" Eirika said while looking down.

"What about my friends?" I asked her.

"They are fine but the wounds on Kurai and Storm didn't heal up as their body is wrapped with bandages for natural recovery…"

"I see…" I let out a sigh in relief to hear those guys are alright. It was then she continued to speak.

"Father Moulder and Natasha couldn't heal up your wounds properly with their healing magic. Fortunately, the village was nearby as they're the ones who tended the wounds for you while Father Moulder and Natasha exhaust themselves to keep you from bleeding out to death… and after that… you've been unconscious for two days straight…" Eirika added in a lower tone.

"I see…" I said. "I can't believe it. That bastard Valter toyed with us."

"You are right. His skills with the lance were prowess. Not even Storm's lance can destroy it…" Eirika added. It was then a knock was heard from the door and when the door opened, it revealed to be Melissa–sempai who walked in towards us with her smile on her face, despite having a patch on her cheek.

"It seems like you have awakened, Kurogasa." Melissa–sempai added.

"Yes, he has." Eirika implied.

"Are you alright, sempai?" I asked worriedly.

"I'm fine, thank you for asking, Kurogasa." Melissa–sempai said with a kind tone before she sits on the bed and looks at Eirika before looking at me. "Eirika has been worried about you since you were out cold." She said, causing Eirika to blush slightly.

"Really?" I asked her.

"That's right. She's stayed next to you all day and night, never leaving your side. Seth was worried for her, but I assured him that I would look after her during that time." Melissa–sempai said with a sincere tone, causing Eirika to blush even more.

"Melissa, p–please stop telling him that…" Eirika stuttered for a bit as Melissa–sempai gently patted on her head.

"It's alright for you to worry for someone you care about. It was the right thing for you to do, but please don't overexert yourself or you might be the one who'll get sick as well… and cause Kurogasa to be worried about you too." Melissa–sempai added with her smile with just honest opinions.

"Okay…" Eirika got out.

"Well then, I'll go tell the others." Melissa–sempai said and with that she left leaving only the two of us. We were silent for a while until I started to talk.

"Eirika, I'm so sorry that I worried you…" I apologized.

"It's alright…" Eirika managed to get out. "I'm just glad that you're alright… um, Kurogasa… why did you shout my name out loud?" Eirika asked me.

I flinched at this. "I… I don't know if I should tell you…" I said looking away from her.

"Tell me what?" Eirika asked in confusion. Before I could even reply, the door opened up as I heard footsteps running towards my direction and before I knew it, Storm was next to me, applying a headlock on me once again.

"Buddy! You're okay!" Storm chirped up as Akira and Amber entered in and tried to pull him away from me before he knocked me out again with his strong grip. When I looked at him, I noticed there are bandages under his shirt, like what Melissa–sempai told me.

"Mou~! I know that you're still hurting, but don't you think doing that to him would only put him out cold again?!" Amber warned him.

"Big sis is right! You're still recovering as well…" Akira pointed out.

"Sorry about that! It's just that I'm glad that he's okay!" Storm added with a nervous grin on his face.

"Sorry I worried you guys so much." I apologized smiling weakly.

"Oh, don't worry about it! It's nothin' much…" Storm replied back.

"And besides, we were just about to leave anyways…" Amber added, leaving both Storm and Akira in confusion before she pushed them out of the room, leaving me a wink before she closed the door, leaving both of us in this room once again. I can pretty much figure it out that Amber's actually helping out with my relationship with Eirika.

"So… Kurogasa… you were about to say something?" Eirika asked.

"Huh?" I asked snapping out of it. "Oh… right. Um… about why I shouted your name uh… I think it's best not to tell you, at least for now until I'm ready. Are you… alright with that?"

She looked a bit down after my reply and it took a while until she responded to my question earlier. "Alright… I can wait…" Eirika said before she stood up from where she was sitting before and head towards the door. Before she turned the door knob, she looked at me with her smile and that cheered me up. "Please get some rest and get well soon, Kurogasa."

"Alright." I said and with that, she left the room.

I sat there alone contemplating on the things that just happened. I got beat by one of the six Generals of Grado and he literally took out all of us six Riders. I can't imagine what would happen if the Six Generals of Grado fought together as one. What I'm _more _scared of was Eirika's fate. I'm scared of what would happen if Eirika were to fall under Valter's hand and that Prince Ephraim couldn't be saved in time. When I faced Valter, I was so mad, my anger and fear of what would happen to Eirika was my undoing and I lost. I felt so weak. Not to mention, the dream that I had just now. It's burned into my very memory and I can't seem to shake it off. What if it were to actually happen? No… I can't let myself be like that. I have to get stronger. And I have to do that soon. I won't let Valter take Eirika. I won't let my dream come to pass. I _will _protect Eirika. Even if it means giving up my life for her.

* * *

And there you have it people, another chapter down and another Undead sealed.

**Spades:** A, 2, **3**, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, J, Q  
**Diamonds:** A, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10  
**Hearts:** A, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 9  
**Clubs:** A, 2, 3, 4, 6, 8, 10

So get to it people, review!


	8. Chapter 6: Victims of War

Okay people, it's time for another chapter of Kamen Rider Blade: The Sacred Stones! Also, one last OC is coming in, and it's my OC, Mikoto! So let's go!

Disclaimer: Same thing. Also, Storm Ryder, Amber Lockhart, Akira Inayo, Kurai Hono, and Melissa Loubard are owned by The Wild Fang while Mikoto Kazehana is owned by me.

* * *

Chapter 6: Victims of War

It's been a couple weeks since Valter's attack on us. We should've been to Renvall by now, but thanks to him we were behind schedule. But I guess it can't be helped since our wounds needed to heal up. Valter really did a number on us Riders. One man, he was just _one_ man and he took out all six of us like it was nothing. Right now, we were on the road once again, trying to make up for lost time. "Grr… when I get my hands on that creep, I'm gonna shove my Rouzer up his–" But before she could finish what she was saying…

*CHOP!*

"Iteeeeeeeeeeeeeee!" Amber cried out holding her head, as Kurai had his hand in a stance of chopping her head once again.

"Don't even bring that word up, idiot. Seriously, why is it that this place is filled with–"

*STOMP*

"Yeouch!" Kurai yelped holding his foot in pain, courtesy of Melissa–sempai's staff once again.

"My, my… such foul language you're going to use just now… there's no need for such physical harm on your cousin. You could always just _tell_ her about it, rather than just hit her…" Melissa–sempai replied with a smile, causing Kurai to be scared of her all of the sudden.

"W–Whatever!" Kurai said looking away.

Natasha could only just giggle before she shifted her attention to me. "Has the pain lessened Kurogasa or does it still hurt along the trip?"

"Little bit of both." I answered rubbing my stomach gently. "The pain's lessened, but it's still there."

"I see. If the pain is still there and it's too much for you to bear, feel free to tell me, alright?" Natasha offered, which I could only nod as Akira looked at me in concern.

"With this kind of condition, you might not be able to fight properly, big bro." Akira implied.

"Yes. What Akira said is true, Kurogasa. What would happen if you got yourself injured again?" Eirika asked worried again.

"I don't think about stuff like that." I told Eirika. "But don't worry, I'll be okay. Hopefully…" Eirika could only have a concerned look on her face as I continued to be quiet. If we somehow bumped onto him again or _any_ of the Six Generals, there could be a chance we could've been killed by them… even Storm's Mighty Impact wouldn't do the trick, as well on his black spear. If that's the case, then the only thing I have left for my trump card… is 'that' form.

* * *

_As the group passed through Serafew; the group crosses into the territory of the Grado Empire. From here forward, there is no doubt that they are walking through hostile territory. In hopes of avoiding unnecessary trouble, Eirika and company head for a sparsely populated region of Grado. However, it is too late. Their movements are already being tracked. Outside of the forest, Riev and another person who was a Shaman in his 30's, wearing a brown robe with gold linings that covered his whole body and partially on his face, were engaging in a conversation. "So, tell me… You have ascertained Eirika's whereabouts, have you not, Novala?" Riev asked the Shaman._

_"I _have_." Novala informed. "I sent some of our men to follow the princess as she fled Serafew. They tell me Eirika and her friends will be coming this way shortly." He added as he looked around the forest as his men were already set in place. "Our ambush is ready and waiting. There's no way they can escape; like rats in a sack, as they say." He added with a few chuckles of his own._

_"Very good… Won't that wretched Valter be delighted." Riev chuckled. "Now about this Princess Eirika… I hear she's quite a handful. They say her paladin withstood Valter's lance and even one of those strange warriors withstood his lance despite him just testing them… Tell me, Novala. Are you certain you can handle this assignment?"_

_"Don't worry. Everything is under control." Novala assured him. "I've brought along a certain something from Renais. It will negate whatever futile resistance they offer. Ha ha ha…"_

_"Heh heh heh… Pray it goes as you say. Very well. Do what you must. I must return to the capital." Riev said._

_"Will you not stay and see how Eirika looks in captivity?" Novala asked._

_"Unlike two other layabouts I know, I do not have such time to waste." Riev answered. "I have much to do for our master. A mountain of tasks awaits me. My time is far too precious to waste on the likes of that royal whelp. Trifles such as these are best left in the hands of servants… such as you."_

_"Y–Yes, of course… Then… travel well." Novala said and with that, Riev got inside a carriage that was waiting for him and the driver urged the horses to go to the capital. As soon as the carriage was out of sight, Novala scoffed in disgust, "Hmph… Freakish old man. You should have watched. You might have learned something. I will capture the princess, and I will replace you at our master's side. You will stew in regret, and I will enjoy every moment."_

* * *

We have arrived at the territory of Grado, the Adlas Plains to be exact. All for the sake of saving Eirika's brother and according to Storm, the trip is going to be a bit hard due to the thick fog covering the whole region. We took a stop for a moment to scan the whole area. "Our range is quite limited with this thick fog…" Gilliam told us.

"Y–Yes… there's a possibility enemies might ambush us…" Neimi stuttered.

"Nah, with _me_ in your disposal, I can find those guys with my eagle eyes!" Colm assured us.

"But even so, we can't just rely on you _alone_, Colm." Seth told him.

"We still have Akira in our disposal too, remember? His fire elements should help us lead the way…" Storm added.

"Yeah, but even so, this fog is still kinda thick." Akira said.

"Can't you just blow it away with your Tornado card Kurai?" Amber asked.

"Even if I _did_ use it, the fog will eventually keep coming back to fill it up again…" Kurai explained.

"And things would only get worse if I use the Blizzard card…" Melissa–sempai added.

"Either way, if we somehow are fighting with enemies on this kind of terrain, this could lead us to trouble…" Vanessa implied.

"And let us not forget the Riders are still on the road to recovery after the destruction made from that general…" Franz added.

"But, we must press forward for my brother's sake! I couldn't bear to lose him… not from the hands of that bastard!" Eirika said angrily on that last part of her sentence, which I can understand her fury on that guy.

"Princess…" Seth said worriedly.

"Eirika, don't worry, we'll rescue Ephraim." I said putting my hand on her shoulder. "It just takes time. Until then, you need to calm down and trust in me, Seth, and everyone else that we'll get there."

"Kurogasa…" Eirika said surprised for a bit as she looked at everyone, who had smiles on their faces before nodding in agreement.

* * *

_Meanwhile, as the group began to have a discussion, both of them are engaging a discussion of their own. "_They_ sure took a while to discuss it." Joshua began to speak._

_"Yes, they took quite a while of doing so…" Natasha replied before Joshua looks at her._

_"And I've heard good things about you from them lately. Everyone's real happy for you to heal them after those attacks from the bandits and stuff." Joshua added._

_"Really? That's nice to hear." Natasha replied with a smile at him before looks forward, "I do what little I can, but I'm glad if I've been helpful."_

_"Oh, you _have_ been, rest assured." Joshua added. "You don't just mend flesh. Your smile eases all our pain." He told her while flicking his coin from his hand into the air before capturing it into his hand. "So, I may have lost our bet… but everything seems to have turned out for the best, right?"_

_"Joshua…" Natasha said as she could only look at him as he had the smile on his face as she replied back, "I just do what I can to help and stay out of everyone's way."_

_"I'm just saying you've saved a lot of lives out there. We've got other healers, I know, but you're _more_ than that. You're special." Joshua said to her, causing Natasha to have a slight blush before he looked away while scratching his head, "I may be the most cynical of our lot, but even _I_ can see that."_

_"Joshua…" Natasha said a bit stunned before she continued the conversation with a smile of her own. "You're far too kind."_

_"Don't be so humble. You _deserve_ the praise."_

_"If… if you say so…" Natasha stuttered._

_"Well, I _do_. So keep it up." Joshua encouraged her, which she replied back with a nod._

_"I'll do what I can." Natasha replied back with a smile while looking at the group._

_It was then that there was one thing that crossed his mind as he muttered to himself. "…nice smile."_

* * *

So we continued trudging through the thick fog in Adlas Plains until suddenly, a dark magic circle that makes me think of the Dark Magician circle appeared on the ground in front of us causing all of us to stop the caravan. A beam of dark light shot into the sky and when the dark light faded, there stood a man in brown robes with gold linings. "Ha ha ha… Princess Eirika of Renais! Accept your fate. You have nowhere to flee!" The man declared.

"Whoa!" Storm said surprised as he tried to control his horse from the sudden panic as the rest of us began to walk out from the caravan before Eirika noticed him and got on guard for anything that would happen.

"Who are you? And where… where did you come from?" Eirika asked a bit dumbfounded as she tried to comprehend the situation happening around here.

"You're as beautiful as I'd heard…" That man praised her, before he noticed something she had on her wrist, "And you're even wearing your bracelet. I suppose we should begin there." The man then extended his hand to claim it. "Would you surrender your lovely little trinket?" Seth caught the gist of it as he immediately aimed his sword towards the man, but the man wasn't fazed by it at all.

"My bracelet… why do you want it?" Eirika asked him cautiously.

"Probably he needed money for his family…" Amber joked.

"Or maybe he's like those bandits?" Storm guessed making the man feel annoyed.

"His Majesty desires it. That's reason enough." The man answered. "Once I present it to him, he will make me a general, and I will be famous. Come, hand it over. Do it quickly, and I'll leave you alive."

"Princess Eirika, you will do no such thing." Seth said still eyeing on him as he kept pointing his sword at him.

"Of course not." The Princess replied.

"Obedience will save you pain. You came all this way to aid Prince Ephraim, have you not?" The man asked. "A fool's errand. Ephraim fell before the Empire's might. As we speak he wastes away in a cell in Renvall, meekly awaiting his execution."

WAIT, WHAT?!

"Her brother was already caught?!" Storm asked shocked as Akira aimed his gun at the robed man before unleashing a few shots at him, only to have the man divert it towards the sky via that black magic of his.

"You heard me correct! Prince Ephraim is under the Empire's might and there's nothing _you_ can do about it!" The robed man laughed, causing Eirika to be furious.

"A pitiful worm like you could _never_ defeat my brother!" Eirika cursed.

"Calm down, dear princess. Don't let anger control your actions…" Melissa–sempai said trying to calm her down.

"I ain't buying his crap…" Kurai replied with a hiss as he held his Chalice Arrow on his hands.

"Yeah, me neither!" Amber supported as she held her Larc Rouzer at the ready.

"That's just too good to be true, isn't that right buddy?" Storm asked me.

"Yeah, he might only use empty words to get to our minds…" I replied.

"Bah! Protest all you like as it does not change the truth! Ephraim has lost, and it was Grado that defeated him!" The man claimed, causing her to be silent as Melissa–sempai continued to comfort her. "You're not going to acquiesce, are you? Very well; bring me the child!" As if on cue, a Solider suddenly appeared holding a little girl hostage and gave the girl to the man before he left making all gasp in shock.

"H–Help me…" The girl whimpered as tears flowed from her eyes.

"Ah!" Eirika gasped.

"Look familiar?" The man laughed. "She's a citizen of your precious Renais. Now give me the bracelet!" He ordered. "Do it, or the child dies!"

"Okay, now that's just plain low!" I said angrily before–

"Wait!" Eirika shouted, causing me to pause for a moment before she walked to the front, hesitantly taking off the bracelet from her wrist. "You win. But I must have your word that the child will suffer no harm." She pleaded as Seth began to get worried.

"Princess, wait! That bracelet–" Seth tried, but she quickly intervened it by throwing it towards the man's grasp.

"It's not worth a child's life. Forgive me, Seth." Eirika apologized.

"Eirika…" I muttered as the robed man looked upon the bracelet and a smile appeared on his face.

"Yes… there can be no mistaking it!" The robed man said happily before putting it under his coat. "Next, your weapons. Take them off and hand them over, especially those strange weapons." He ordered, causing us to be annoyed.

"Why would you want our weapons _anyway_?!" Storm said angrily at him, which the robed man only chuckled at.

"Do you think that I didn't know about your strange powers from those strange items you carry along with you? Now, HAND THEM OVER!" He ordered with a stern tone.

"No!" Seth snapped. "Surrendering our weapons would be tantamount to suicide. You demand too much of us!"

"I see years of peace and idleness have not dulled the wits of _all_ Renais's knights." The robed man sighed. "Well then, my hostage has no more use to me, does she? Ah, such a waste." But then he had a look as if he had an idea. "Wait a moment… I've just had a delicious idea." And I was right, unfortunately. "Have you heard of the giant spiders prowling about this region? They'd appreciate a nice, hot meal, wouldn't you agree?" At that point, my blood started to boil.

"You bastard! You wouldn't dare! To think, you'd sink _this_ low!" I shouted.

"You can't!" Eirika pleaded as the man just smirked.

"Nooooo!" The girl shouted before she was teleported to somewhere else as the man continued to laugh at our futile.

"Ha ha! This will be a delight to watch! These fools will curse the day they were born to Renais!" The man continued to laugh.

"You _truly_ are an eyesore! And I don't like it _ONE_ _BIT_!" Kurai stated angrily as he clutched his weapon tightly.

"Why… why would you… How can you _do_ such a thing?!" Eirika said in rage.

"THIS IS WAR! There are _no_ rules here! In war, you can do _anything_! _ANYTHING_!" The man exclaimed while pointing at Eirika continuing on with his ranting. "You curs of Renais have _lost_! Your idiotic ravings mean nothing…" He mocked her, which caused most of our bloods boiling in anger after hearing what he just said.

"ENOUGH!" Eirika yelled. "HOLD YOUR TONGUE!"

"Wha… what?" The man asked shocked.

"I…" Eirika began before she stopped for a moment and shook her head and continued on, "_We_, the people of Renais, have long honored out allegiance with the Grado Empire." It was then I can see fire in her eyes as she glared at him, causing the man to be startled. "And you invaded without warning. You ravaged our land. You killed my father… even then, I told myself I must not hate Grado or the people."

"Eirika…" Natasha said touched by the princess's words as the rest of us listened to what she had to say.

"If I gave into my hate, the bond between our lands would be lost forever and I refuse to hate! Instead, I lived for the day our nations would know peace again!" She stated making her point, causing the man to be in shock. "But… if this is Grado's _true_ face… if you could extinguish Renais without pity, without remorse…" She continued as she took out her rapier and pointed at the man with such fury. "If this is the case, then there is no room in my heart for forgiveness for someone like _you_!"

"Yeah! Attacking the townspeople without any good explanation is just plain stupid!" Storm stepped forward.

"It is truly unforgivable… you will all pay for what you have to them. It is time to now count up your sins…" Melissa–sempai added as she _also_ stepped forward. Wow, she actually somewhat said a Kamen Rider W quote.

"Yeah, and we'll be the executioners if we have to!" Amber pointed out.

"We may be from different worlds, but that doesn't mean we can just overlook the situation!" Akira added as he joined in as well.

"If that's the way you want to play, then I got no problem dealing with it!" I finally said it to him, causing him to take a few steps back.

"Impudent fools! Do you expect your words to save your countrymen?! They will _not_! Your beloved people will _all_ die, as _YOU_ will, Princess!" The robed man declared before he warped himself away from our view as Eirika looked at us six Riders with a smile on her face.

"Everyone… thank you…" Eirika said with a smile.

"Oh, don't worry about it! We're friends, remember?" Amber cheered her up as she patted her shoulder.

"And that's just one of our duties as a Kamen Rider, right, big bro?" Akira asked me.

"That's right. So let's do this!" All six of us placed our cards in our respective Buckles and pulsing noises could be heard from our belts.

"Henshin!"

**TURN/OPEN UP**

**CHANGE**

After the transformation is complete, Lance cracked his knuckles as he took a few spins with his lance and noticed there are some enemies hiding among the thick fog, readying for an ambush.** "**Hey, will you look at that? Our vision is able to see through the fog!" Lance chirped up.

"And not to mention we got ourselves an uninvited guest that will stalk us down hidden among those bushes…" Chalice pointed out.

"What shall we do with that?" Leangle asked me.

"You deal with our uninvited guest, Chalice. Larc, Lance, find that girl. Her parents may be there too. And if you find that big spider, kill it. Garren, Leangle, come with me and deal with that bastard. Everyone else, keep your guard up and take out the enemy. And… if there are any enemy healers out there, whatever you do, no matter the circumstance, don't kill them. You can _disarm_ them, but don't kill them. I don't want any religious people killed and have guilt on my conscience."

"Leaving the search and hunt job to us, huh? Sounds interesting enough…" Chalice said as Vanessa also lent a hand to them.

"Come, Amber, we should go and find them." Vanessa suggested as Amber immediately rides on her Pegasus before both of them soared to the sky. In the meantime, Chalice roused a card before handing it to Lance to use as well and roused it onto his Rouzer.

**FLOAT**

"See ya later!" Lance chirped before both of them flew towards the sky as well.

"C'mon guys! Let's take them all down!" I shouted as we began to advance towards our targets.

* * *

_Meanwhile, Novala was warped to a place where the girl and her parents trapped and surrounded by mountains. "Ha! Ha! Ha! If you must curse someone, curse your dear princess!" He claimed as the mother began to beg for help._

_"Help, someone!"_

_Novala could only laugh as he witnessed the fear of the people of Renais. "Cry! Scream! HAHAHAHAHA! And now will you excuse me for now! I have bugs to kill!" He said before he warped out from the place, leaving them alone._

_"Are we gonna get eaten?" The girl trembled in fear._

_"We're going to be fine. Someone will rescue us." The mother assured her daughter as the father could only keep quiet about it._

_Unknown to the rest of them, another Undead which consisted of grey armor with thorns all over its armor, having the Executioner's helmet on with a vine, twirled around his helmet and on his right shoulder he wields a vine whip on his grip, slowly approaching towards the trapped people as well._

_"Time for a meal…" the Undead spoke as the DarkRoaches spread throughout the fog. The rest of the group led by Kurogasa wasn't expecting them at all, while their leader were taking care of Chalice, Larc, Lance and Vanessa, heading towards them._

* * *

**LIGHTNING SLASH**

"Haaa!" I yelled out while slicing their staves in half and dented their armors with ease before I shifted my attention to the next enemy behind me with an electrified sharpened Rouzer.

**BURNING SHOT**

"Get out of my way!" Garren shouted while shooting away some of the arrows that are targeting him and others before he managed to shoot the archers from the trees and burned them down to the ground.

**STAB**

"Please forgive me for doing this…" Leangle apologized before she began to stab some mercenaries in front of her and noticed a healer to heal them. She immediately disarmed him and knocked the healer out before she bowed to him again as she stabbed the wounded soldier before he can even react. "I pray for your forgiveness for hitting a fellow comrade of the Light. I have my reasons and hoped for my sins to be forgiven…" She said before she got in a defense position seeing incoming Fighters nearby.

"Natasha, stay back!" Joshua warned her before he stops one of the spearman's thrust at him with his Killing Edge and Colm helped him out with a quick slash to his chest, killing the attacker in an instant before moving onto the next target. "Are you alright?"

"Yes, I am fine. Thank you.' Natasha thanked him as Joshua tipped his hat before getting back to protective stance once again.

"Don't worry. I won't let them harm you…" Joshua assured her as another enemy comes towards them.

"By the power of the light…" Artur chanted.

"…imbued with Gaia…" Lute followed suit.

"Let the arrows pierce through the darkness!" Both of them announced in unison before Neimi's arrow is imbued with two different kinds of powers before she lets go of it, killing a row of soldiers along the way.

"It r–really worked!" Neimi said surprised.

"Of _course_ it will work. With my knowledge regarding Magical Fusion, Chapter 5: Physical + Magic; there is no way that will _not_ work!" Lute added, causing Artur to sweat drop.

"I didn't know about that…" Artur noted.

"Of _course_ you don't! That's because I'm the most intelligent mage of them _all_!" Lute boasted.

As Garcia, Gilliam, and Franz took care of the cavalry, Ross noticed something from afar and was shocked to see it coming towards our direction. "Incoming cockroaches!"

"What?! Here as well?!" Seth asked shocked before he finished off another cavalry with his swift blade.

"That means our uninvited guest is an Undead." I growled.

"Be prepared! Who knows when it will show up again!" Eirika warned before she got into a stance and stabbed onto one of the DarkRoaches. Much to the other soldiers' surprise, they weren't expecting the incoming of swarms of DarkRoaches as they shifted their fighting onto them.

"What _are_ these things?!" One of them shouted in anger as they tried to kill it with their lance.

"I've never _seen_ such a thing before!" Another one said angrily as they managed to kill one of the DarkRoaches before the green gas poof out from them, causing them to cough badly. "And it reeks as well!"

During the mayhem, Father Moulder was trapped into a corner as the DarkRoaches wanted to kill him… until Franz appeared just in time to rescue him before his horse went through it with ease. "I thank you for saving me, child…" Moulder thanked him.

"Do not worry, Father Moulder. I'm here to help after all…" Franz assured as they saw the coughing soldiers earlier puke out blood before they slumped to the ground, lifeless.

"Is _that_ the reason why you told us to not inhale the green gas, Kurogasa?" Eirika asked me as she immediately pushed a DarkRoach away before stabbing it and jumped to my side to evade the green gas.

"Exactly." I said slashing a DarkRoach and jumped back carrying her with one arm to avoid the gases. "Those gases are deadly. Inhale one breath of that stuff and well, you can see what happened to _them_." I said pointing to the now dead soldiers. Eirika nodded as she used her long scarf to cover her mouth and nose to prevent her from inhaling it before she went to assist Leangle. At that point, Garren ran next to me as both of us are now back–to–back. Garren noticed something off.

"Big Bro, don't you think it's a little weird? I mean, there are too many of these things but their leader hasn't appeared…" Garren pointed out.

"You're right. Normally, we'd see the leader by now." I said.

"But… why didn't it show up yet? Could it be another Royal Club's tricks on us?" Garren asked before he shot one of the DarkRoaches that tried to capture Neimi from behind, killing it as Neimi quickly covered her mouth and nose with Colm immediately helping her escape to fresh air.

It was then I realized it. "Oh no! That Undead may be going after someone other than us Riders!"

Garren took note of it as he also realized it. "Could it be… that it'll target those innocent people?! This is bad! If they Chalice, Larc, Lance, and Vanessa don't reach in time to help them, we're in deep trouble, big bro!"

"We better hope the four of them manage to save them in time…" I can only hope for the best.

* * *

_Inside the forest, a young teenager that has long red hair tied up with a white ribbon in a ponytail that goes down all the way to the bottom of her back, side bangs that fall to just the bottom of her face and blue eyes, wearing brown very light breast armor on top of her black top part of her long white dress, running towards the direction of where the innocent people were. She kept running with a blade on her hand without feeling tired at all. "I just hope I can manage to save them in time… I can't let them be killed by those spiders!" The girl said as she continued to run._

* * *

_As the family of three was being cornered by a few large spiders, the girl began to cry out for help. "Nooo! Stay away from us!" She cried and just before one of the spiders managed to pounce towards its target, it was immediately impaled by a javelin on its head, killing it instantly before it was been pulled back to Vanessa's grip._

_"Stay away from the family!" Larc shouted as she, Chalice and Lance landed onto the ground and both of the boys swing their weapons to scare them off while Larc continued to shoot them away from afar._

_"W–Who _are_ you strangers?" The mother asked them._

_"We're with Princess Eirika." Larc said. "Don't worry, we'll protect you!"_

_Hearing Larc saying the princess's name makes the mother sigh in relief. "Thank goodness…"_

_"Wow, they didn't explain about the size of these guys…" Lance said amazed to see the large version of the spiders as they prepared themselves to fight them off._

_"Hmph, we might as well eliminate them… what an eyesore indeed…" Chalice scoffed before they head out to take them down as Larc protected the family from harm. In the meantime, the Plant Undead continued to walk towards them with a vine whip in hand as it easily ripped the spiders into shreds before continuing on the advance._

_"And it looks like we found our uninvited guest." Larc said pointing at the Undead._

_"The Plant Undead. Kurai, that's _your_ department. I'll handle these overgrown bugs." Lance said._

_"Hmph… just be sure to not let those bites get to you, Lance…" Chalice scoffed before he lunged forward with his Chalice Arrow in hand. It initiates the first attack by swinging its vine whip onto Chalice, which he easily sidestepped before he continued to rush forward. The Undead immediately pulled back its whip before defending itself from Chalice's attack. The two continued to attack and receive before both of them took a leap back trying to size up to each other. "See how you like this!" Chalice said attaching his Rouzer to the Chalice Arrow and roused two cards._

**CHOP**

**TORNADO**

_Two holograms of Chop Hammerhead and Tornado Hawk appeared behind him as he prepared a stance to attack before the holograms are absorbed into his armor._

**SPINNING WAVE**

_As the Plant Undead threw its whip again towards his direction, Chalice chopped it out of the way towards the nearby large spiders before he ran forward, close enough to deliver another chop directly onto its chest. The Plant Undead took a few steps back before it lunges its whip into the ground, much to Chalice's confusion. "What the heck is it doing?" Chalice asked himself before something unexpected happened to not only him, but to the rest of the riders and the monsters nearby. A sudden huge number of thorn whips shot out from the ground, wrapped around the Riders to immobilize them while it killed the remaining spiders that went through it, which in the end, the three were tangled up._

_"Hey, what's the big idea?!" Lance asked annoyed as he tried his best to untangle himself but all of his efforts are in vain._

_"I can't get this thing off from me!" Larc shouted as her Rouzer dropped to the ground due to the sudden bump among the thorn vines._

_"Darn it… this is what that thing was planning all along!" Chalice hissed as the Plant Undead took its whip back and start to whip Chalice mercilessly, causing smoke to appear as each whip hits his armor._

_"Chalice!" Both Lance and Larc cried out his name before it delivered a vertical whip directly onto his head, causing him to be unconscious and it left marks all over his armor. The Plant Undead began to focus onto the other two trapped Riders before it commanded its vines to hit them full force. Both of them shouted in pain as each whip from the vines hit them repeatedly while the vines that wrapped around their wrists and ankles caused them to not able to defend themselves. All of the sudden, the vines positioned the two damaged Riders closed to each other, as they noticed the Plant Undead was in the sky, delivering a foot stomp on each of their chest, causing a crater on the ground before the vines eventually welted, as it seemed pleased with the result with two riders on both of its feet. As both of them cringed in pain, the Plant Undead shifted its focus onto the family as Vanessa stepped forward, trying to defend them from harm._

_"Darn it…" Larc hissed in pain as she clutched her chest tightly before she noticed Vanessa trying to protect them. "Vanessa, bring them to safety! You can't face it with just a plain lance!"_

_"Even so, I must protect them, even if it kills me!" Vanessa said determined before the Plant Undead prepared its vine whip once again._

_"Vanessa!" Larc shouted before the Plant Undead whipped its weapon towards her direction._

_"Henshin!" A voice yelled._

**OPEN UP**

_The announcement that was made immediately ejected a gold rectangle hologram with the mark of Change Kerberos on it as it immediately pushed away the Plant Undead as if it was nothing before slowly moving towards a feminine figure and passed through it, causing the transformation to be complete. Lance pushed himself up slowly as he looked to the side, causing him to be quite. "Glaive?!"_

_Larc was confused as she looks at her boyfriend. "Is that another rider on our side?"_

_"Yeah, but… it was supposed to be a _guy_ under that suit…" Lance told her as he saw her in black bodysuit, having gold decoration on his helmet with a red ruby at the middle that resembles the suit of diamond, silver shoulder plates with golden lines donned on the golden 'A' on her chest armor, golden bracelets and silver knee guard, shin pads and boots at the bottom. On her hand, she wielded the Glaive Rouzer that looks similar to Blay Rouzer, with the only difference of black with gold linings instead of indigo with silver linings on it."_

_"Another one?" Vanessa said in confusion as she just looked surprised on the new rider._

_"Are you guys okay?" Glaive asked in a feminine voice._

_"Yep. It's a girl." Larc said._

_"Yeah, we're fine." Lance said as he slowly pushed himself up and supported Larc to get back on her feet as well as both of them were a bit wobbly. At the same time, Chalice was already up, leaning towards a nearby tree while clutching his right shoulder in pain as the Plant Undead was now furious._

_"Darn it… that thing just got back up…" Lance said while slowly getting back into his stance as Larc was pointing her Rouzer at it._

_"Then we might as well force it to go back down!" Larc told him._

_"Hold up, I got you covered." Chalice as he roused a card._

**RECOVER**

_The hologram of Recovery Camel appeared as it slowly lets out a few sparkles that made the three of them rejuvenate once again, despite having scars on their plates._

_"Thanks a bunch!" Lance chirped up._

_"Because of you two, I only have 2000 AP left on my Rouzer… honestly; you two can be an eyesore at times…" Chalice complained._

_"Look on the upside; at least we got the number gain from this… girl…" Larc said as all of the riders prepared their weapons as Vanessa took the child and placed it onto her Pegasus._

_"I'll be sending them to safety. Please be sure to protect her parents until I return." Vanessa told us._

_"You betcha!" Lance said as he gave her a thumbs–up before she took off to the sky._

_"Alright, you overgrowing walking Plant! See how you like _this_!" Glaive shouted as she roused a card._

**MIGHTY**

_"And this!" Lance shouted as he roused his card on his Lance Rouzer._

**MIGHTY**

_"And don't forget mine!" Larc joined in as she roused her card on her Larc Rouzer._

**MIGHTY**

_"Hmph, might as well join in…" Chalice scoffed before he roused a card onto his Chalice Arrow._

**DRILL**

_Four holograms appeared behind them, which consisted of the three Mighty cards and Drill Shell, causing the parents to be surprised. As Mighty Gravity was absorbed into the Glaive Rouzer, Mighty Impact entered the Lance Rouzer, Mighty Ray entered the Larc Rouzer as a flaming arrow appeared on it and the Drill Shell entered Chalice's armor. The Plant Undead began to run towards them at full charge. "Stay where you are!" Larc shouted at the Undead as she unleashed a few shots onto its chest, causing it to stumble a few steps back as the vine that it used to protect itself burned into flames. Seeing the chance, Lance thrusts his Rouzer directly onto its chest, causing the venom at the tip to enter its body, weakening it. Without hesitation, Glaive jumps high and delivered her vertical Lightning Slash onto the Undead, causing it to take more damage and was weakened severely before it was covered entirely in ice due to Blizzard Venom that was imbued from Lance's Rouzer. As a finishing touch, Chalice jumped high and delivered a drop kick, connecting the attack onto its head before the ice shattered away and an explosion occurred, causing the Undead to be burned, motionless._

_"That's a little payback for the attack on my head earlier…" Chalice said as he slowly raised himself up from kneeling down, after delivering the attack. Larc then took out the Proper Blank and threw it at the Plant Undead, absorbing it and then the card shot back at Larc, with the latter catching it. She then looked around and suddenly had the urge to vomit as she immediately covers her face onto Lance's chest._

_"Oh yeah… those spiders really showed a lot of blood splatter all over the place from those vines… no _wonder_ she's acting up like this…" Lance recalled as he brings her to a place where she can calmed herself down._

* * *

"Hmm… I wasn't expecting those kinds of strange beings to enter the fray and kill most of the soldiers… but no matter… I have the Princess's bracelet in my hand and she with her little group of mercenaries and strange warriors are ending up being killed by those creatures… and not to mentioned those spiders are having lunch time with those Renais fools…" The man laughed out loud.

"Isn't it too early to say something like that?" I said to him, as he turned around and was shocked to see me, Garren, Leangle and Eirika standing tall and looking at him.

"No! It can't be! How did you… I thought you were–"

"–being killed by those cockroaches? It would take more than _that_ to stop us…" Garren said to him.

"They suddenly disappeared after the battle, which means the other group has already done their part of the job but cutting off the source of the problem…" I added.

"And now… you must pay for your sins…" Leangle warned him as the man slowly got annoyed.

"Grrr… Must I do everything myself!?" He snapped as he puts away the bracelet into his robe and took out a tome of Dark Magic and the dark aura started to emit from his body. "I am Novala! One of the great Shamans of Grado! With my powers, you shall fall under my hands! You are looking at the future General of Grado!" He declared.

"I will not let the likes of you do whatever you want!" Eirika said as she pointed her rapier at him. "You will pay for your actions!"

"Hah! Come and get me if you want to!" Novala taunted.

"Allow me." Artur said. "My book of Light shall cast out his book of Darkness." Artur said as he opened up his book and began to chant.

"Curse you, monk! How _dare_ you assist them!" Novala said angry about it.

"From what I notice, the power of Light triumphs over the power of Darkness and since your Rider powers is as same as mine, as what we called Anima." Lute explained. "It would not be effective to fight his powers of darkness but will easily overcome the power of Light… this is according to Three Powers of Wisdom, Chapter 1: The Basics of Magic."

"Wow, she sure knows her stuff…" Garren said impressed.

"Of course! I'm the most intelligent mage of all time!" Lute boasted.

"Ever heard of being humble?" I muttered under my breath, while sweat dropping.

"There's no point in keeping it to yourself. It must be shown to the world what you're truly made off…" Lute said before both Artur's light orb and Novala's dark defense was prepared.

"May the Light create the path to cleanse your sins!" Artur said before he pushed the light orb directly onto the defensive Shaman, slowly removing any darkness that he used, before eventually the attack caused him to drop his book from his grasp and the bracelet fell off from his sleeves.

"Fellow comrades! Now is the time to do so!" Artur called giving us the signal to do so.

"Alright, let's finish this!" I called out. Garren and Leangle nodded as we each took out two cards and roused them.

**KICK**

**THUNDER**

**DROP**

**FIRE**

**SCREW**

**BLIZZARD**

Six holograms appeared behind our backs as Kick Locust and Thunder Deer was absorbed into my armor, Drop Whale and Fire Fly enters into Garren's armor and finally, Screw Mole and Blizzard Polar entered into Leangle's armor before the three moves were declared.

**LIGHTNING BLAST**

**BURNING SMASH**

**BLIZZARD GALE**

In an instant, crackles of lightning can be heard on my kicking feet as smoke was seen on Garren's kicking feet too. Leangle tightened her fist before she ran towards Novala and much to his surprise, the chilly wind can be felt on him as he noticed the lower part of his body frozen, causing him to not be able to run anywhere. Both Garren and I leaped high into the sky before both of us delivered a drop and Rider Kick respectively while Leangle thrust her fist onto him. Novala couldn't make an escape nor the defend himself as the three attacks connected onto him, sending him flying a few meters away before lying flat onto the ground, covered in bruises. "Aah… Is this… the end? No fame? No… glory–" Novala got out letting out his final words before he remained quiet after that.

Garren and I landed safely on the ground after that. "And _stay _down!" I said before pulling the lever and took out the card to revert back to normal.

"I don't think he'll be moving around anytime soon…" Akira said with a sweat drop after reverting back to normal as I walked towards the place where Novala once stood tall and bent down to take Eirika's bracelet. I then walked back towards Eirika and handed it to her.

"Here, I think you dropped something…" I kinda joked before Eirika took it and lets out a smile on her face.

"Thank you." Eirika replied before we heard a shout from the sky

"Oi~!" By now, everyone has met up and we looked up to see Vanessa with the Riders in the sky, holding the hostages before slowly descending down and much to my surprise-

"Glaive?!" Akira and I asked shocked for a moment after seeing Larc holding Glaive's arms, as Melissa–sempai was confused.

"Kurogasa, what's wrong?" Melissa–sempai asked me.

"Another strange warrior, huh? This looks interesting…" Lute analyzed as the rest of them landed onto the ground before the girl ran towards her parents and the rest of us riders went towards them.

"Who could Glaive _be_?" Akira asked me.

Glaive then noticed Akira for some reason. "Hey Akira! Hey Kurogasa!" A feminine voice chirped.

"It's a girl." I noted.

"Do we _know_ you?" Akira asked carefully.

Glaive reverted the transform to reveal a girl about Akira's age having long red hair tied up with a white ribbon in a ponytail that goes down all the way to the bottom of her back, side bangs that fall to just the bottom of her face and blue eyes, wearing brown very light breast armor on top of her black top part of her long white dress. Mine and Akira's eye widened at who it was. "I sure _hope_ so."

"Mikoto?!" Akira and I asked shocked with the former blushing. Oh yeah, forgot to tell ya. Akira has a crush on Mikoto.

"I'm sure glad to see you guys!" Mikoto exclaimed before she hugs Akira tightly, leaving the rest of the Riders in confusion. "You have _no_ idea how long I've been stuck to this world, and couldn't find a way back home!"

"Uh… Akira… who's the girl?" Amber asked him as she lets go of him and introduced herself towards the rest of them.

"It's nice to meet you all! My name is Mikoto, a school athlete and Akira–kun's classmate! So, you guys must be what Akira-kun called big bros and sis, right?" She asked.

"Yep. You got that right." Storm replied with a nod.

"My, my… she seems lively…" Melissa–sempai said with a smile of her own as Kurai scoffed while looking away.

"By the way, how did you get here, Mikoto–chan?" Akira asked after he recovered from his blush.

"Yeah, that's what _I_ wanna know." I said.

It was then Mikoto started to explain. "Two months ago, while back in my world, I just finished one of my usual school training for the incoming district sports and one day, my coach told me to put the items away to the storage. It wasn't much, so I did it. At first, everything seemed normal when I entered the room and put away stuff where it belonged. When I wanted to get out from the room though… well, a portal showed up after I opened the door and it sucked me into it. Before I knew it, not only I was donned in this armor, but also having this weird looking sword and belt around my waist… in the end, I became a hired mercenary to make a living out of it and when I heard that there was a family in trouble… well, I rushed forward and well, here we are…"

"Oh dear… same thing happened to us as well, Mikoto-chan…" Melissa-sempai said with a sweat drop.

"Two months ago? That's the time we went to the convention, buddy!" Storm pointed out.

"Weird." I pondered.

"Oh, and check _this_ out." Amber said throwing me a rouse card to catch. "We got this Undead."

"The Plant Undead, huh? That's another one to add to our collection. Here Kurai." I said throwing the card to him and the latter caught it.

"And we also got this from the family as a thank you present." Storm said giving me a gold pin of some sort that had a bow and arrow emblem on it.

"What is it?" I asked.

"That's a promotion item. The Order of Orion's Bolt." Seth answered.

"Huh? What's that supposed to mean?" Storm asked.

"It is something that is allowed for normal Archers to be one of the Honored Group and will be declared as a Sniper or a Ranger. In order to earn this item, one must prove him or herself worthy before they can earn it." Seth explained.

"So, there's only this kind of thing?" Amber asked.

"There are others… but the same principle applies as well. Prove yourself worthy and you will get this item to become one part of an Honored Group…" Seth added.

"So, in other words, Neimi must prove herself worthy of getting this bolt before she can have it?" I asked him, which he nodded in agreement.

"Oh, that reminds me. They also gave us this too." Mikoto said handing me something. It was a blue ring and it had a red gem in the middle.

"Ah, that's a Guiding Ring." Seth said. "A promotion item for magic users. For those who wield Light, A Monk or a Priest can become a Bishop or Sage. A Cleric can become a Valkyrie or Bishop. And a Troubadour can become Valkyrie or Mage Knight. For those who wield the Darkness, a Shaman can become a Druid or a Summoner. And to those who wield Anima, a Mage can become a Sage or Mage Knight."

"I see it now… man, this really reminds me of those company workers working their way up to become a CEO or something…" Amber pondered.

"If that's the case, should we take a break for today? The sun is getting low and we _do_ need to burn down those corpses…" Storm added.

"And I guess this is the right time for Seth to explain why Eirika's bracelet is so important to not letting it go…" I said while looking at him, which he could only close his eyes and Eirika was a bit concerned.

"Seth… please tell me. Why was Novala after my bracelet? Why is it so important to not let it fall under wrong hands?" Eirika asked him.

Seth was hesitant to answer, but nonetheless, had to. "Your late father, King Fado…" Seth began. "He ordered me to keep silent until the proper time arrived. However, with all that has happened with Emperor Vigarde's actions… I feel it _imperative_ that I tell you everything, Princess Eirika. Are you ready to hear the secret of the bracelet you wear?"

"I am…" Eirika let out softly.

"As you know, Princess…" Seth began. "Renais houses one of the legendary Scared Stones."

"Of course." Eirika replied. "It's in the temple. It's supposed to be a ward against evil."

"Yes, the _true_ stone is." Seth explained making Eirika confused for a moment. "But the stone in the temple is nothing but a forgery. The _real_ Sacred Stone of Renais lies beneath the royal castle. Guarding it is a powerful seal, an infinitely complex lock of sorts."

"What?" Eirika gasped. "Is this true?"

"Yes." Seth nodded. "King Fado confided in me himself. The Sacred Stones banished evil long ago and possess powers beyond our ken. The ancient kings of Renais felt it prudent to seal ours away. They feared its power could be misused. They thought to remove the temptation. The keys to break the seal were hidden, too… forged into bracelets… The very ones that you and your brother, Prince Ephraim, wear…" Eirika was surprised as she looked at the bracelet she was wearing as I was a bit surprised to know the key to the Sacred Stone that I've heard from Natasha is actually on her wrist and her brother's wrist… no _wonder_ he gave off that weird look on his face that time…

"Our bracelets? How could Father keep this a secret from me for so long?" Eirika asked him, wanting to know the truth.

""They must know nothing of the bracelets. Tell them only if some great peril strikes". Those were King Fado's exact orders." Seth implied.

"Wow… this is a lot to swallow down…" Amber added as Mikoto was confused.

"What are these Sacred Stones you kept saying about?" Mikoto asked.

"I'll explain to you later, Mikoto–chan." Akira told her, which she nodded.

"Does her brother know about this, Seth?" Melissa–sempai asked him, which he shakes his head in disagreement.

"No, Sister Melissa. Prince Ephraim knows nothing of the bracelet's secret, _either_. The king told me this out of fear that something might happen to him. So that, when the time came, the two of you would learn the truth." Seth finished his sentence, making Eirika knew the importance of the bracelet.

"I never knew the bracelets have such meaning…" Eirika said.

"Yeah, and not to mention our belts have become real when we first entered this world…" Amber pointed out as I could still remember that most of the items we brought along were nothing more than just deluxe toys and nothing more to it. After knowing those fake items have become real, we're still surprised to this day…

"Now all of us are the only living souls who know the secret of the Stone of Renais. At least, that's what I was _given_ to believe. And yet…"

"Yet the Grado army has made it clear they want me only for my bracelet." Eirika replied, frowning.

"Yes, quite clear at that…" Seth agreed. "I don't know how, but Emperor Vigarde must have learned the secret _somehow_. And now, his troops pursue the bracelet, and we are no closer to knowing his motives."

"He would use the bracelets to unlock the Sacred Stone and destroy it in secret…"

"Perhaps."

"Which means my brother… and his bracelet…"

"If he's been captured, they may have the bracelet already, and he may be–"

"Ephraim…" Eirika breathed in heartache.

"Don't worry, we'll find him." I assured Eirika placing my hands on her shoulders making her look at me. "You're not alone in this Eirika. You have me and everyone else to support you. Like I told you before, I don't think your brother's the type of guy that gets himself beaten so easily."

"Kurogasa…" Eirika said as she wipes her teary eyes before she lets out a smile. "Thank you."

"We must take Novala's words to be true though. We must hurry to Prince Ephraim. The enemy soldiers who fled the battle will have reported our location by now." Seth informed us, as we could nod in agreement. "If the prince is being held prison at Renvall… I fear they might execute him once they learn of our approach." He added.

"You're right. We've no time to waste. We must hurry to Renvall! Let's go rescue my brother!" Eirika declared.

"Well, so much for burying them down…" Storm joked as Akira looked up on his classmate and began to offer her something.

"Ne, Mikoto–chan! Why don't you joined with us? With the power you hold, it would be much easier to save them all if we worked together. What do you say?" Akira offered.

"Really? You would let me _go_ with you?!" Mikoto asked excitedly.

"Of course! We can't leave a fellow rider behind!" Amber chirped up.

"And it will do no good if you don't have a path to follow and to return to…" Melissa–sempai added.

"We need all the help we could get. Besides, we don't want to experience the same defeat like last time, right, buddy?" Storm reminded me, which I want to forget about.

"Yeah…" I muttered.

"YAY!" Mikoto cheered suddenly hugging Akira making the latter blush.

"U–U–Um… Mikoto–chan… I can't breathe…" Akira got out trying to take off her hug, which she didn't notice, because she wrapped her arms around his neck, causing him to choke a little bit. Storm and Amber watched as they let out a small laugh.

"It seems like things are going to be just fine, huh, Amber?" Storm asked.

"Yeah, can't wait to see more flowers blossom up…" Amber replied as she looked upon the troubled but determined Eirika riding onto the caravan.

* * *

So with that, we had to leave the burning of the bodies to the Grado healers, unfortunately. We wanted to help, but due to the urgency of getting to Ephraim as quickly as possible, we just couldn't. Soon, night already fell and we had to set up camp yet again. Franz, Joshua, and Colm had tonight's night watch while the rest of us had dinner courtesy of Amber's cooking once again. "Alrighty! Dig in! Today's dish is from our world's famous dish, rice with curry!" Amber said as the rest of them dig in and as usual, they seem to enjoy it to the fullest.

"Wa~! It's really refreshing!" Mikoto said happily as she looks at Akira with a smile on her face. "Is she always this good at cooking, Akira–kun?"

"I know, right? I can never get tired of big sis's meal!" Akira replied before the two continue on eating until Amber noticed something.

"Say, where's Natasha and Storm?" Amber asked while looking around.

"Natasha is probably praying right now… I shall bring the meal to her…" Melissa–sempai said as she took her plate and Natasha's and head towards the camp she might be in.

"He said something about getting some fresh air all of a sudden… but he doesn't seem sad or anything, but as if he's just being himself…" Eirika added as she took a bite on her meal.

"I'll go see what's up." I said leaving the campfire to find Storm. After a while of searching through, I finally found that guy and he was laying back on the rock, looking at the moon with his usual smile on his face. "Hey, dinner's ready! Come and get it before it gets cold!" I told him.

"Say, buddy. Do you remember how we first met?" Storm asked me casually, not to mention out of the blue, without leaving his gaze at the sky. His timing sure can be weird at times

"Where did _that_ come from all of a sudden?" I asked.

"I don't know… I just feel like saying it…" Storm said normally before I walk towards and sat next to him.

"Yeah, I still remember it as clear as day…" I said before both of us went back to memory lane...

* * *

Flashback – 8 years ago

_At that time, I was on my way back home to get to my foster parent's house and I just happened to follow a shortcut by the park the other day. At that time, I saw a few boys picking up on a kid with black spiky hair, wearing red shirt with the ZECT insignia on it with black shorts as he tried to get back his toy, Kabuto. At that time, Kabuto was really famous alongside Blade and he was being held by two other kids while the big boy just looked at the toys. "Hmph, you're collecting these? Man, you're weird, kid!" The big guy said while looking at it with less interest._

_"Hey, let me go! I've spent most of my money to get both Kabuto _and_ Blade! They're rare items!" The boy cried as the bully had a smile on his face._

_"Oh, really? What would happen if I snapped both of these things in half?" The bully threatened as his goons just chuckled._

_"Oi! Nani o shiteru no?! (Hey! What are you doing?!)" I shouted._

_The bully turned around, seeing me with an annoyed look. "Get out of here, kid! This isn't your business or is it that you don't understand what I'm saying, hm?"_

_"Hey, whoever you are! Hurry and run away!" the boy told me, but I didn't budge one bit._

_"Huh? Playing hero, huh?" The bully said before he threw both of the figurines away to a nearby bench and cracked his knuckles. "Let's play then!"_

_I dropped my bag and got into a stance of fighting, which surprised him for a moment as if he noticed something about me. At first, he tried to swing his fist at me, which I immediately took a step back and began to mutter something under my breath. "Kick…" I said while giving him a kick on his stomach. "Thunder…" I continued as I pushed him back, causing him to lose his balance for a bit before I finished it up. "Lightning Blast…" I took a big step onto the bench and jumped right off from it before I gave him a kick onto his chest, causing him to tumble down._

_"Awesome~!" The boy was amazed for a bit before his two goons released him and tried to attack me. He took one of the goon's hands, and quickly delivered his Kabuto style Rider Kick onto him, causing his goon to land next to his boss._

_"1…" I grabbed the other goon's arm and made him run around for a bit._

_"2…" The boy continued before he lets out a punch onto his stomach._

_"3…" I continued before giving him a knee to his head, making him look at both of us._

_"RIDER KICK!" Both of us said in unison before both of us delivered our own version of a roundhouse kick, causing him to land on top of his boss._

_The three suddenly stood up and his two goons ran away with tails between their legs as the big bully pointed his finger at us. "I'll get you two for this!" He yelled before he left the scene. It was then I didn't expect what his reaction was about earlier._

_"Oh man! How did you learn to do such moves and stance?! It's the same as Blade!" The boy said ecstatic before he realized and kept quiet. "Oh… sorry to make you involve with a mess for a weirdo like me…" He apologized._

_"No, it's alright. And besides, you're not the only Tokusatsu fanatic around here." I grinned goofily. "I'm one too."_

_The boy suddenly went excited once again as he replied back to me. "Really?! Me too! Man, I'm so glad to meet someone with same passion as me!" He said before he extended his hand to me. "The name's Ryder… Storm Ryder, a true Kamen Rider fan. Well, of the Heisei Era that is…" he said with a grin on his face._

_"Kurogasa Kururugi. Nice to meet ya." I winked and the both of us shook hands._

End Flashback

* * *

"Man, that day is one I'll never forget." I said smiling fondly at the memory.

"Yeah…" Storm said before he closed his eyes as he sat up and looked at me with his usual face. "And by the way, I noticed that Eirika puts her trust in you for helping her out."

"I know… I _did_ tell you that I like her…" I replied back.

"True… but, buddy… when the time comes, you have to make a choice…" He said while looking at me with a concern tone.

"What do you mean?" I asked him.

"Well… when the mission that we're going to pull off is over… and we found our way back home… there's a possibility that you have to separate with her…" Storm told me.

"Man… you really know how to ruin the moment don't you."

"I'm just stating the obvious…" Storm said before he looks back at the moon. "But… I believe…"

"Believe what?" I asked him.

"Fate has its own twist and turns, like what Melissa–sempai said to us. And I know whatever decision that you or Eirika make, you have my support because of our never–ending friendship. That's why I believe that you will determine your fate." He said while patting on my shoulder with an assured smile on his face.

"Have I mentioned that you can be cheesy with stuff like this too?" I grinned.

"You can say I'm an old timer, just because I'm two months older than you…" Storm said as both of us had a good laugh until…

*Growl*

"Dang… seems like I need to fuel up my stomach…" Storm said while taking a sniff on me. "It's curry today, huh? It's been a while since we have that…"

"Yeah, so let's go. Everyone's waiting for ya." I said. And with that, he jumped down from the rock and I followed suit before both of us head back. "Hey, Storm…"

"Yeah?"

"Thanks…"

"No problem! That's what buddies are for!" Storm replied back with his usual smile on his face.

* * *

_At the tent, Melissa enters in as she noticed Natasha was just finished her prayers. "Are you done with the prayer, Natasha?" Melissa asked her, surprising Natasha a bit._

_"Of course." Natasha replied before she took her plate of her dinner from Natasha and does her prayer before she began to take her first bite. After a while, Natasha asked her something, "Melissa… have you ever fall in love with someone but you feel like you can't because of our path that we took as a cleric?"_

_"Of course, I do." Melissa said with a straight answer. "And he's already my boyfriend. If you must know, he may act like a bit… loose in terms of his usual foul language, but he has a good heart." She explained to her, which Natasha pondered for a bit._

_"Could that person be… Kurai?" Natasha asked which Melissa just nodded in agreement._

_At this point, Kurai sneezed, causing Amber to jump a bit. "What's wrong, cousin?" Amber asked._

_"I think someone's talking about me behind my back…" Kurai grunted._

_"It's just a superstition, big bro!" Akira replied back before he took another bite._

_"Yeah! And besides, it must be something that makes you sneeze, like pepper or something like that." Mikoto added before she had seconds._

_"I guess so…" Kurai shrugged before he continued on with his meal._

* * *

_"But then… how come he's scared of you?" Natasha asked tilting her head in confusion._

_"It's because I simply confront him and tell him how I feel, even up to the point of my confession to him. But for some reason, that just caused uproar among the students and from the looks of it… maybe that's the reason why he's afraid of me because how straight I truly am. Or maybe because he doesn't have any experience regarding love?" Melissa pondered._

_"Hmm… I see…" Natasha said._

_"But even so, it's quite rare of you asking me about it. Does it bother you?" Melissa asked Natasha, which she kept remembering what Joshua said to her with his usual laid back attitude._

_"I… um…" Natasha said a bit lost for before Melissa grabbed hold of Natasha's free hand, much to her confusion. "Melissa?"_

_"There is nothing wrong with it. We may be serving for our God, but that doesn't mean we can't find our companion for life…" Melissa advised her before she stood up and walk towards the entrance of the tent. "Just follow what your heart tells you to, okay?" Melissa replied back before she walks out from the tent, leaving Natasha as she looked down on her curry._

_"Just follow… my heart…" Natasha muttered before she took another bite on her meal._

* * *

Okay people, that's another chapter down! And boy what a chapter me and Wild Fang did! 10,000+ words. So get to it people and review!

**Spades:** A, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, J, Q  
**Diamonds:** A, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10  
**Hearts:** A, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, **7**, 9  
**Clubs:** A, 2, 3, 4, 6, 8, 10


	9. Chapter 7: Waterside Renvall

Okay everybody, now that the entire Kamen Rider Blade cast is here including the Missing Ace Riders, it's time for another chapter of Kamen Rider Blade: The Sacred Stones! Let's go!

Disclaimer: Same thing.

* * *

Chapter 7: Waterside Renvall

The next day had come by and I woke up, with the sun shining from the entrance of the tent. Sitting up from my sleeping roll, I saw Akira sleeping peacefully with Storm snoring loudly while drooling with his whole body spread out. "Egg~ burger~~" Storm mumbled in his sleep as he rolled to the side, which made me sigh while shaking my head.

"No matter how long we've been friends, the first thing that comes to his mind is always his egg burger… what an airhead, but I can't hate him for that…" I said before I walked out from the tent and saw Colm sleeping right in front of our camp, which he had done his part of guarding the night. I also saw Seth looking at the map before he noticed me let out his usual smile on his face.

"Good morning, Kurogasa. Sleep well?" Seth asked me.

"Yeah, I had a good sleep." I said stretching out to loosen up. "Where's everyone else?" I asked.

"All of the girls, including Princess Eirika are still asleep in their tents. Garcia and his son are doing their training, while Gilliam is taking a nap and the rest are now hunting down some breakfast for today…" Seth finished looking at his map before he looked at me. "Why are you awake this early in the morning? It's quite rare of you since you wake up a little bit later than now…" Seth asked me.

"Well…" That was a good question. Why _did_ I wake up early today? Could it be what Storm told me last night? Or is there something really important that I didn't know…

"You must be still surprised to know about the truth of the Sacred Stones, am I correct?" Seth asked me.

"That's _one_ thing…" I told him.

"I knew I should have told you from the start since I noticed that you knew I was hiding something from her regarding the bracelets… forgive me for doing so. It was the King's order of not telling them the truth until the time was right…" Seth informed me with a slight bow.

"It's alright. Don't worry about it." I waved off. "Still, it's all unbelievable…"

"It's even _more_ unbelievable for us to see such strange items from your world when we first met, so we can call it even…" Seth said which I nod in agreement before he looked at the map again. "We should arrive in Renvall in three days, according to this map. I'm sure that by now, word of our approach has already spread afar and they might anticipate us. The castle might not be penetrable easily due to its surroundings are mostly covered in lakes…" He recalled.

"True. And it would take forever to have Lute cast fire on the lakes just to dry them all up so we can move forward." I added. "We might as well make due."

Seth nodded before he rolled up his map and stood up to look at the sky. "As soon as the sky brightens up, we will make posthaste… then I will inform the rest." And with that, he went off on his own. Soon enough, Akira walked out from the tent while rubbing his neck a few times, groaning in pain.

"Geez, big bro's sleeping habit sure is a bit wild… he accidentally hit my neck while rolling around in his sleep…" Akira complained before he noticed me. "Oh, hey big bro! When did _you_ wake up?"

"Not too long ago. I was just talking to Seth about Renvall." I told him.

"Oh, okay…" Akira said before he rotated his neck around to let some cracks be heard. "I might as well try to plan something with Seth to know something about it…" he decided before he went there. In the meantime, I guess I should check on father and son, to see if they're done training…

* * *

While I was walking around for a bit, I heard a few clashes of wood hitting each other and before I knew it, it was just those two practicing their fighting skills before both of them decided to end the training for today. Garcia began to approach to his son as both of them began to have their conversation with each other. "Ross…"

"What is it, Dad?" Ross asked. Before he knew it, Garcia placed his hand on his shoulder, somehow gripping on him… how did I _know_ this? Ross's expression says it all. "Ow… Ow! Ow! What are you doing? That hurts! You're crushing my shoulder!" Ross retaliated while taking a step back from that grip.

"Ross…" Garcia said again, this time with a sad tone, making his son get worried on his father.

"What's wrong, dad?" Ross asked concerned.

"Ross… I'm going to be sentimental for a moment. Bear with me." Garcia told him, which leads Ross to be confused.

"Huh?"

And before he knew it, Garcia suddenly hugged him before he backed off and explain to him further, "You may be almost grown, but you're all I've got in this world. It's true that your skills have improved, but don't act foolishly."

"Huh?" Ross kept on saying. That's the only reply Ross could ever say as it only led him to more confusion than solution.

"There's no greater tragedy than when a parent must bury his child." Garcia replied with a stern tone before he looked directly at his eyes. "Do you see where I'm going with this?"

"Yes… I understand." Ross replied back before he rubbed the back of his head while still a bit puzzled from what his father said earlier. "It's just weird to hear you talking like this… I guess I _have_ been getting a big head. No one is invincible." He concluded as Garcia nodded in agreement.

"Yes, that's right. And when you start to think you are that's when you're the most vulnerable." Garcia told him, which made Ross understand what he was saying.

"I was just all puffed up when you said I had improved. I'll be careful from now on." Ross said as he looked up at the sky and continued where he left off. "I haven't told this to anyone, but I guess dads can see these things."

"No matter how old you'll get, you'll always be my son."

"Yes, and I'll always look up to you!" Ross said with a grin on his face before he noticed me standing near the tree. "Kurogasa, when did _you_ get here?"

"Hm?" Garcia was surprised as well before he turned around and saw me with a slight confusion. "What brings you here, young warrior?"

"Oh, just seeing what you guys were doing. I see that you've just finished training huh." I said.

"We sure _did_!" Ross said before he got an idea. "Say, Kurogasa. Mind if we have a spar with each other? I bet I can beat you with my axe in hand!" Ross said which made Garcia shake his head in disagreement.

"Ross, you may not be able to beat that man with just strength alone. I have sparred with that young man and he has good speed in his control." Garcia told his son.

"Don't worry about it, dad! I'm sure I can do this! Just trust me!" Ross told his father.

"You sure? Because I'm not holding back once we start." I warned.

"That's just how I like it." Ross said hefting up his hatchet onto his shoulder.

"Alright, if you say so…" I said then slid in my Category Ace into my belt before getting into a stance. "Henshin!"

**TURN UP**

After the blue hologram ejected from my belt and made its way towards me donning me in my armor, I held my Blay Rouzer and got into a stance. "A quote from a show where I come from… Saa, showtime da!" I said before both of us began to collide in the middle.

* * *

_Mikoto opened up her eyes from her sleep as she stretched herself up before sitting down and looked at Melissa wearing her headdress of her cleric costume until she noticed her. "Oh, Mikoto… you're awake." Melissa said with a smile on her face._

_"Yep. And all freshened up too." Mikoto chirped._

_"It must be good to be young and active. How I missed those days…" Melissa said as she recalled her childhood memories._

_"Say, where're the other girls?" Mikoto asked her._

_"Oh, Amber's going to help cook for breakfast. Eirika and Natasha are at a nearby river to clean themselves up." Melissa replied back to the active girl._

_"Oh ok. Well, I might as well do that too." Mikoto said before getting up and out of the tent. As soon as she walked outside of the camp, she noticed the whole camp area was quite busy. As Akira was studying the map of the Grado region, Amber and Neimi were roasting up two boars for breakfast, Vanessa was combing her Pegasus while it feasted on the fresh grass and leaves it sees, Colm was still sleeping near the tent while Gilliam sharpened his lance. Seth and Franz were having a spar, Storm and Joshua were gambling by guessing where the coin landed, but Joshua kept losing to him as Artur would only see them with a sigh and finally, Lute was studying at a beetle she caught earlier before she refers back to her book._

_"Wow, really busy around here." She mused._

_"It's_ always_ like this…" Kurai said, causing Mikoto to jump aside as she wasn't aware of him being next to her._

_"Where did _you_ come from?!" Mikoto asked surprised._

_"I was meditating here the whole time… trying to find peace…" Kurai told her before Neimi noticed Mikoto and called for her._

_"M–Mikoto! Why don't you help us out with breakfast?" Neimi asked, which she immediately joined in._

_"I wonder where Kurogasa is?" Mikoto asked herself._

* * *

The duel continued on for 10 minutes and Ross was pretty much running out of steam while I still have some energy left in me. Sparring with Ross was a bit difficult in the beginning but I noticed he loses his stamina really quick due to relying on strength so I easily managed to counter that problem as time went by. "Try _this_ on for size!" Ross shouted before he threw his hatchet towards my direction as I sidestepped it. The hatchet makes a U–turn before returning back to his grasp as I was already right in front of him. Delivering a knee strike on his gut, I quickly disarmed him and trip him down by copying some of the moves that I learned from Garcia before stabbing the Rouzer next to his head.

"I win…" I said to him, which he took his time to regain his stamina.

"Man, you were right! You sure are tough to beat…" Ross praised me before I pulled him up.

"Yep. Thanks to your dad and Seth working with me. I'm still kinda like _you_. Wet behind the ears."

"I can see that, Kurogasa. We should improvise together so that we'll be strong enough to beat the heck out of those generals!" Ross said to me with full passion as I nodded in agreement. Just then, we heard some rustles in the bushes and when we got into the stance, it was just Natasha and Eirika stumbling upon us and they seemed to be surprised as well.

"Oh dear… what happened _here_?" Natasha asked.

"We were just practicing our blades here." Garcia told them before he continued. "And where have the two of you been, Princess and Sister?"

"We were just refreshing ourselves at the river, that's all." Eirika explained to us.

"Okay, well I don't know about you all, but I could sure use some breakfast right about now." I said.

"Yes, I feel the same as you are now, young man. Why don't we go back to the camp and have our breakfast together before heading out to save Princess Eirika's brother?" Garcia suggested.

"I agree. We cannot go to battle with an empty stomach." Natasha added before the rest of us head back towards the camp. While Garcia, Ross and Natasha were ahead in front, both Eirika and I are walking in our own pace, side by side.

"Are we going to be able to save my brother, knowing that Valter is there as well?" Eirika said in a concerned tone while looking down.

"We will. And don't worry; I'll protect you from him. I promise." I said firmly.

She let out a smile on her face before I can actually felt her right hand holding onto my left hand and I gotta say; her hand was really soft. "Thank you…" Eirika said with a slight blush while both of us were holding hands, heading back to the camp together.

"Um… you're welcome." I got out while having a slight blush of my own. I guess I should savor this moment as both of us are starting to get closer, but when I think about what Storm said last night, it got me worried. When the journey is over, it's possible that we can't see each other again and our tale is nothing more than just a folklore tale. I better make up my mind about it before this journey is over…

* * *

_In Renvall, Valter was riding his Wyvern with a mad look on his face. "Curse that prince! Just when I thought we could clash our lances together, he really made an escape with his small group, causing us not to be able to stop him in time! Even with his betrayal on the prince, he still manages to do so! If it wasn't from the order of the Emperor, I will continue the hunt and kill him with my Obsidian for satisfaction!" While Valter kept cursing himself, a paladin walked towards him as he had brown chestnut hair, wearing a dark brown shirt with silver armor with a cape, brown pants and boots as he looked upon Valter with his brown eyes. "Returning back to Grado, general?"_

_"Ah, yes, I am! The Emperor has summoned me back to Grado. He probably has another mission in mind…" Valter spoke as he looked at him. "Princess Eirika and her little group are heading their way towards this place. Once they have reached the castle, get me her bracelet and kill the rest of them, but leave Princess Eirika unharmed and capture her to be taken the dungeon. If I see one scratch on her beautiful face, you shall pay with a thrust of my lance on you! She is, after all, my puppet bride for my lust!" Valter claimed before he lets out a sinister laugh._

_"Very well. I shall do your bidding…" The paladin bowed before Valter took off to the sky once again, leaving the paladin on his own. "Princess Eirika… I'm sorry for this…" The paladin apologized before entering back into the castle._

* * *

So after having breakfast, and thankfully letting go of Eirika's hand so Amber won't notice when we got back, we continued on our three day journey towards Renvall. Oddly enough, these past three days have been very… well, quiet. "Funny… usually along the way, we might either encounter some bandits or even a few monsters perhaps but nothing seems to happen along the way…" Akira said to himself as Mikoto looked at him with a confused look.

"What do you mean by _that?"_ Mikoto asked.

"The young lad said we're usually under attack by them but it seems like there's nothing around here at all." Moulder explained.

"Could they possibly have heard of us getting to Renvall and preparing themselves to get to us?" Eirika asked me.

"Possibly, but until we know for certain, be on guard for anything." I advised.

"I'm _always_ on guard, Kurogasa…" Eirika told him as the journey continued on.

* * *

_Meanwhile, in the caravan of weapons, as Colm woke up from his nap, he noticed Neimi was moving around for a bit, leaving him confused for a moment. "Whew!" she said as she wiped off the sweat on her forehead._

_"What are you doing?" Colm asked, causing Neimi to be startled._

_"Oh! C–Colm… I–I was just restringing my bow…" Neimi said startled while putting her bow on her back._

_"Wow. You really take after your grandfather. The way you handle your bow is great!" Colm praised her, causing Neimi to slightly blush with a smile on her face._

_"Grandpa taught me how to shoot when I was little…" Neimi told him, which he recalled some of the memories from their past._

_"Yeah. Your grandfather was a really top–notch archer. I still remember how he tried to shoot me." Colm said while he sits up and leaned at the caravan's wall._

_"W–Well, Colm… That's because you were stealing fruit from our tree." Neimi explained while having a sweat drop._

_"He really taught me how frightening an archer with a good shot can be." Colm deadpanned as he had a slight shiver running down his spine._

_"But… He never hurt you. He just wanted to scare you. He missed on purpose." Neimi told him, making Colm scoff._

_"No, he_ was_ aiming for me. I was just too fast for him to hit me." Colm boasted, causing Neimi to blink in confusion a few times._

_"He never missed a target when we went hunting."_

_Colm gave her a mischievous grin on his face at hearing that. "Well, then, I guess I'm just faster than wild animals." He told her before Neimi broke down into giggles, causing him to feel annoyed for some reason. "Hey! You're _laughing_ at me, _aren't_ you?"_

_Neimi calmed down after she had her giggles. "That's not true… It's just that… you haven't changed _much_ since then." Neimi said, making Colm raise his eyebrow._

_"What's _that_ supposed to mean?" Colm asked._

_"J–Just that you exaggerate a lot. But now that I think about it, you've always been at my side." Neimi said while looking at the mirror in front of her as Colm just let out a sigh._

_"Not _always_! And _now_ especially, I can't always _be_ there to protect you. I have many responsibilities to this unit, you know." Colm told her, making her look down._

_"I know…"_

_It was then she felt a pat on her head and as she looks up, and Colm had a friendly smile on his face. "But I can't leave you alone, either."_

_It was then she looked down again at the mirror but this time, with a smile and a slight blush on her face. "Thank you…"_

* * *

_In another caravan, as Melissa gently combed Amber's hair as she slept on her lap. She looked at Natasha who kept glancing over Joshua a few times as he was busy leading the horse of the caravan to follow Seth, Franz, Gilliam and Storm leading the group._ 'She must still have some doubts in her mind, as she can't decide what to do after I gave her my advice last night… I just hope she doesn't over think this or she might hurt herself.' _Melissa thought to herself concerned for her as the journey continued on._

* * *

By noon, on the 3rd day of our journey, we arrived at the outskirts of Renvall. "Will you look at that? We're here already!" Storm chirped up as the rest of the group looked upon the vast field.

"And they're expecting us to come by…" Gilliam pointed out.

"Who _doesn't_ after hearing the news of our arrival and the rumors of Prince Ephraim being captured that will lead us to help him out?" Franz put his two cents in.

I looked around the area and true to Seth's words the area was surrounded by lakes. And just a couple miles away was the Renvall castle. That must be the place where Ephraim is being held, but with all these lakes, it's gonna take a while to get there. I then looked around some more and noticed something up in the sky. I squinted my eyes and saw… A HUGE ARROW HEADING FOR US?! "INCOMING!" I yelled.

"Huh?" Everyone asked who seemed to be in confusion before Kurai stepped to the front and split the arrow in half with his Chalice Arrow, causing the rest of the group to be surprised from his sudden action.

"Where did _THAT_ came from?!" Colm shouted in surprise.

"Probably from a ballista over there…" Kurai said as he pointed out at far away, a man loading a huge arrow on his ballista.

"Darn it, they're bringing out the big guns… I think…" Mikoto said while thinking.

"Whatever it is, we can't just stand here and do nothing about it!" Amber pointed out.

"I guess they're really serious about taking us down this time…" Ross pointed out.

"The only entrance is the bridge to the main gate, and it's well guarded." Seth explained to the rest of the group as he continued. "Castle Renvall is a natural stronghold, easy to defend and difficult to assault. We must plan our attack carefully." Seth advised us as the rest of the group nodded in agreement.

Franz stepped forward with his horse and faced the princess with a concerned tone. "Princess Eirika! Please allow me to fight beside you. My elder brother, Forde, is in there with Prince Ephraim, Sir Kyle, and Sir Orson… Let me help you set them free!"

"There is nothing to discuss, Franz. We _will_ fight them." Gilliam said with a stern tone as he patted his hand onto Franz's shoulder.

"The hour of your reunion is not far off now." Moulder added.

"I am yours to command, Your Highness." Vanessa pledged.

"We're with you all the way! Right, Dad?" Ross said enthusiastically while holding his hatchet, readying to slay down some enemies, which Garcia let out a sigh.

"Don't work yourself into lather, Ross. In the heat of a good battle, a good warrior remains calm where lesser men do not." Garcia advised which Ross took note of.

"You need anything stolen, I'm your man. 'Course, my blade's no joke either." Colm said with a mischievous smile on his face while holding his sword underneath his torn cape.

"I'm sure I can help you if you'll let me… I'll keep you safe." Neimi said as she had her bow in hand.

"You can't _possibly_ consider fighting without my _genius_ at your side!" Lute boasted as she closed her book.

"I have yet to repay you for helping me fight those abominations." Artur said as he stepped forward, next to Lute. "Please, let me stand by your side a while longer."

"This has trouble written all over it. Bet you it's all a trap…" Joshua said as he flicks his coin and looked upon it with a smile before he puts it back into his pocket. "Ah, well… My luck's gotta turn around sometime, right?" he added before taking out his Killing Edge in his disposal.

"May the sacred light surround us and protect us all." Natasha prayed.

"Don't worry, Natasha. I'm sure everything would be okay if we work together." Melissa–sempai said to her with a kind tone as she held her Leangle Rouzer tightly in her hands.

"It's time to help out some more people!" Mikoto chirped up happily.

"And taking out the source of those incoming ballista…" Akira added as he held his Garren Rouzer on his hand.

"These enemies _sure_ can be an eyesore indeed… might as well take them down for good…" Kurai said with a sigh.

"…and save her brother at the same time!" Amber added.

"If I met that Valter again, I'm gonna pay him back in double for what he did to my buddy!" Storm said with determination as he gripped his Lance Rouzer tightly after a few twirls.

"So then let's do this!" I shouted as the seven of us Riders got out cards ready and the pulsing noises could be heard.

"Henshin!" We shouted in unison after we made our gestures as Mikoto opens up her Buckle with her two right fingers.

**TURN/OPEN UP**

**CHANGE**

Seven holograms conjured in front of us before all seven of them went through us and our armor is formed after that. "With our armor at our disposal, we're all good!" I told her.

"Well, Princess, everyone is ready to go to battle. Let us prepare for battle as well." Seth told her as she puts on her leather gloves and took out her rapier as she looked upon it.

"…Brother, I'm on my way." Eirika said before she began to step forward. "Let's go!"

And with that, everyone charges forward until Akira noticed something. "Big sis, don't take to the skies." Akira warned Vanessa as she took note of it.

"Don't worry. I won't make any foolish decision, considering the situation we're in…" Vanessa added before she let her Pegasus gallop around the area, following the cavalry close to her.

* * *

_Among the forest, a figure which consisted of a humanoid body with grey scales with a cobra head with a flattened neck, sharp claws and its lower part of its body resembles a snake slides across the area while wielding its trident, looking at the field. "Fooooooood~!" The Undead hissed while setting its glare upon the enemies in front of it. Meanwhile… two more Undead were following a few meters behind the Cobra Undead. _

_The first Undead is somehow look like Medusa as it has snake hair with the face resembling it as well, have large shoulder pads on her grey breast armor with spikes on her left thigh, sharp claws and wielding a whip with a sickle attached at its end as she was pleased to hear such a thing. This was the Serpent Undead. "Ah~! Finally, more meal for us to eat! I've been longing to get out from that sealed card and wanting to feast on a human's flesh with all of my desire!" It spoke before it laughs out hysterically._

_"Don't be so sure about that…" Another Undead said as it appeared. It has a peacock head with white hair, large shoulder pad that was mounted with peacock feathers in it, wielding sharp claws and donned with a trench coat with some spikes appeared on its knees. This was the Peacock Undead. "Since we have been released, the possibility of those Riders will come to seal us once again…" It analyzed._

_"Bah…" The Serpent Undead hissed. "Must you always be pessimistic?"_

_"It's just a warning, Serpent. We must not let our guard down for one moment, even when we're facing with these humans…" The Peacock Undead told her before the three began to advance forward._

* * *

_Meanwhile, Colm, Neimi, Lute and Artur are sneaking up upon the soldiers in the bushes as they were controlling the ballista as only two soldiers are protecting it. "According to my memories regarding to the book: The Power of Weapons, Chapter 21: Siege Weaponry, Ballistae are the most effective weapon to be shot from afar, although it would take some time to reload. Only those with experience in using the machine can fully understand how it functions…" Lute analyzed as she took a peek among the bushes._

_"Is that so? You can be useful at times…" Colm praised her._

_"Of course! I am the most intelligent mage after all…" Lute boasted._

_"You need to learn how to be humble." Artur sighed shaking his head._

_"Neimi, think you can use that ballistae?" Colm asked._

_"I–I think so." Neimi said. "I–It's just a big bow right? It shouldn't be that hard to figure out."_

_"All we need to do now is wait for the signal…" Lute said._

_"_What_ signal?" Colm, Neimi, and Artur asked in confusion before they heard a shot from a ballistae towards somewhere along the plains._

_"_That_ kind of signal!" Lute said as she immediately jumps off from the bushes, alerting the soldiers as they were in a defensive stance. Lute casted a fireball spell, hitting her target at them as they run around in pain before they met their demise by the fall of the cliff in front of them._

_"What the?!" the Archer soldier said in surprise as he picked up his bow after abandoning his ballistae before Artur casted a light spell onto him, roasting him in an instant by the intensity of the light._

_"Forgive me for what I have done. I am merely defending myself and others from harm." Artur apologized before they noticed two more mages from the enemies' side appear as Neimi shot her arrow directly onto one of their head while Colm ambushed the other mage from behind before delivering a slit to his throat, killing the mage while it spurs out blood as he dropped dead._

_"Go Neimi!" Colm shouted._

_"R–Right!" Neimi immediately rushed towards the ballistae before she looked over it. "I–It looks simple to understand how to use it…"_

_Lute casually walks towards her as she pointed out which ones are needed to be targeted. "Those two archers can be nuisance if we leave it be…"_

_"T–Then, we will take them out!" Neimi said as she noticed something about the ballistae. "U–Um… it has only five more arrows we can use…"_

_"That's more than enough to shoot those Archers." Lute said. "Now go on, chop, chop."_

_Artur can only sigh as Neimi loaded the ballistae before shooting out the large arrow at the archer near the gates of the castle. "I–It worked!" Neimi said before another group of mercenaries approached them._

_"Don't worry about these guys! We'll take care of them!" Colm assured her as they defended her with their weapons in hand._

* * *

_At the same time, another group which consists of Joshua, Natasha, Franz, Gilliam, Leangle and Larc were attacking the main soldiers that were guarding the bridge that led them to get across the river as Larc shot out her arrow shots onto the spearmen's chest, killing them._

**STAB**

**POISON**

_Two holograms of Stab Bee and Poison Scorpion appeared before it was absorbed into her Rouzer. Leangle thrusts her Rouzer towards the shaman who wanted to cast a spell, and poisoned him while stabbing onto his shoulder, thus cancelling his cast. Moments later, he felt heavy on his body before he slumped down to the ground. "Their defense is getting low. We should continue to push forward!" Gilliam told them before he threw his lance onto the mage, piercing his stomach before he pulled it back to his hand as the mage dropped down._

_"Their defense is getting low. We should continue to push forward!" Gilliam told them before he threw his lance onto the mage, piercing his stomach before he pulls it back to his hand as the mage drops down._

_"Right!" Franz understood after taking down another axe wielder with his sword._

_As Joshua managed to kill one of them, he noticed something on the sky and saw a huge arrow aiming towards Natasha. "Natasha, watch out!"_

_"Huh?" Natasha asked a bit surprised while she was healing up Gilliam on his bruises before she noticed a large arrow heading towards her. "Aaaaaah!" She could only protect herself and Gilliam ended up fighting off with another axe wielder, distracting him from saving her before she was shoved to the side by Joshua to a tree nearby as the arrow hit right above them. At this point, Joshua was on top of her before he took a glance at his back._

_"Curse that archer! He nearly hit her!" Joshua cursed before Larc took care of that with her Scope Bat and shot it from afar._

_"Joshua! You saved me! Thank goodness you were near…" Natasha said letting out a sigh of relief._

_"Yeah, well… I just happened to be in the neighborhood is all." Joshua said as he looked at her with his usual smile._

_"You make light of it, but I truly appreciate that you were nearby." Natasha added before both of them noticed their current situation. In a split second, he immediately moved away as Natasha slowly sat up and had a blush of her own._

_Joshua cleared his throat as he had a slight blush too. "Well, uh… are you all right?" He asked Natasha._

_"I'm fine, thank you…" she said as she looks at him while trying to recover her blush. "But it's only thanks to you, Joshua. You saved me. I'll try to be more attentive to my surroundings."_

_"Yeah, well… It's not always easy, you know? Especially when you're working." Joshua replied as he tipped his hat forward. "You concentrate pretty hard when you're doing your healing thing. Just focus on your work, and I'll keep an eye on you. Sound fair?"_

_"Oh, no… I couldn't ask you to spend all your time protecting me." Natasha tried to deny, making Joshua confused._

_"What, you don't_ want_ me to?"_

_"It's not that at _all_! I rather like–" She stopped there trying to find an excuse until she choked up for a bit as she remembered Melissa's advice from the past until she looked down, blushing madly. "…um, never mind."_

_Joshua let out a sigh before he made up his mind. "Say, you want to make a bet?"_

_Natasha looked up at him surprised as she recovered some of her blushes while looking at him in confusion. "Another… bet? Right here? In the middle of this battlefield?" She blinked a few times as he nodded in agreement. "What did you intend to bet on_ this_ time?"_

_"That you're gonna fall for me, sooner or later."_

_That bet alone was enough to make her blush and be in a shock at the same time. "What?!"_

_"I'm betting yes, personally…" Joshua said with a smile as she was absolutely flustered._

_"Oh… This isn't the time for jokes! I–I just don't know." Natasha said startled before running off towards Franz who was getting injured in the battle._

_"Hey, don't go running off!" Joshua shouted trying to stop her but she was already out of his reach. "*sigh* …I wasn't even _joking_…" He muttered to himself before he defended one of the attacks from another soldier nearby._

* * *

We were getting closer to the castle via the shortcut that Akira found by taking down an old tree in order for us to make it across. Those soldiers didn't expect that we'll be ambushing from the west side of the castle as well while they were busy concentrating at the south of the castle. Me, Garren, Chalice, Lance, Glaive, Eirika and Seth charged forward towards the main bridge of the castle while Vanessa, Moulder, Garcia and Ross took care of the archer that controlled another ballistae, guarded with a few spearmen near the castle with their weapons in hand.

**MIGHTY**

**MIGHTY**

**SLASH**

**BULLET**

**CHOP**

Both the Mighty Gravity and Slash Lizard entered into our Rouzers as our blades have become the sharpest swords in the world before both of us took down a few knights that were hard to beat down. Our blades simply slashed through their thickest armor before it broke through their defense, killing them instantly.

While Garren shot out some shots with the assistance of Bullet Armadillo towards the archer by disarming them, Eirika immediately rushed to their side, stabbing them at the chest with her rapier before letting out a cut behind her, killing both of them with ease.

"Take this!" Chalice shouted as he delivered a chop onto the axeman while shouting "Woo!" each time he does that before Lance finished them off with his Mighty Impact, stabbing through their dented armor at their heart before pulling it off from him. It was then we noticed a Cavalier making his way towards us as he walked out from the gate.

"General Valter's adjutant, Lord Tirado, has charged us with defending the castle! Show them the might of Murray's brigade! Don't let anyone near the castle!" Murray shouted as he wore a fully equipped red heavy armor that covered his entire body to his feet, wielding a rather large lance and carrying his shield with him as well.

"Incoming reinforcements!" Lance shouted at us as more of them are coming out from the castle.

"Incoming Undead!" I shouted.

"Huh?!" Lance, Garren, Glaive, and Chalice weren't expecting that as not one, not two, but THREE Undead appear from out of nowhere before they tried to dive in their claws at us. Fortunately, both Garren and I managed to block them and knock them back as Chalice and Lance ran towards our direction.

"Gee, _three_ of them, this time?!" Glaive complained

"Yeah… what a pain…" Chalice muttered as Seth and Eirika began to regroup as well. Ross, Garcia, and Vanessa could only defend themselves from the extra numbers of soldiers as Father Moulder continued to cast the healing spell.

"What can we do _now_? They are overwhelming us in numbers!" Eirika said worried until all of the sudden, our reinforcements have arrived. As the rest of our group rushed forward to take down some of them, the rest of the riders followed suit before joining in.

"You guys don't have to worry about these guys! We'll take care of them!" Colm assured me before he rushed forward, leaving us 7 riders facing with 3 Undead.

"I guess this should be good, right?" Leangle pondered

"I guess so… since the Royal Clubs are hard to defeat if we're alone… and they're still fresh from the oven…" Garren analyzed.

"Well, I'm gonna need to do this then." I said as I pressed the button on the Rouze Absorber and three card slots came out. I then took out my two cards and slotted one of them in.

**ABSORB QUEEN**

I then swiped the other card on the Absorber.

**FUSION JACK**

With that declaration, the plaque of the Fusion Eagle covered the Absorb Queen card, changing me to my Jack Form with my AP fully restored. It was then Garren noticed something. "If we sealed them up, I can get MY Jack Form too!" Garren pointed out.

"Really?" Leangle asked him since she isn't really familiar with Tokusatsu world.

"Is that true, Blade?" Glaive asked me since she isn't familiar with it too.

"That's right." I said looking towards the Undead getting a good look at them. "We're looking at the Peacock and Serpent Undead. Both Royal Suits of the Diamond. And then we got the Cobra Undead. Five of Clubs."

"The Bite Cobra card for Leangle's Blizzard Crush combo!" Lance chirped up.

"Yosha! Now, I'm rearing to go!" Larc said as Glaive prepared her Rouzer and held the blade downward.

"Let's go already before they escape!" Glaive shouted happily before we clashed with the Undead in the middle.

As Chalice and Leangle takes down the Peacock Undead, Garren and Glaive faced off against the Serpent Undead, Larc, Lance and I took care of the Cobra Undead as it was quite agile for its size. Chalice began to swing around his Chalice Arrow a couple of times onto the target, as the Peacock Undead fends off with its claw. Seeing the chance, Leangle immediately stabbed her Rouzer a few times to its side, making it startled as its weapon was still jammed with Chalice's Arrow. After a slash from Chalice onto the Undead, it went furious before it shot out some of the feathers from its shoulder pad, hitting them continuously before returning the favor by slashing them at their armor twice for each of them. "Tch, this one is quite an eyesore… and I _still_ want to conserve my AP…" Chalice muttered.

"How come?" Leangle asked.

"I got a bad feeling about this, that's all…" Chalice added before the Undead crashed its attack at the middle, causing both Riders to jump aside in different directions as their onslaught continued on. Meanwhile Garren and Glaive were dodging one of the swings from Serpent Undead as it continued to laugh madly while hitting them with its sickle. Glaive felt annoyed as she immediately rushed forward with the Serpent Undead anticipating her advance.

"Glaive! Don't rush alone!" Garren shouted at her before he quickly fanned out his Rouzer rousing a card onto his Rouzer that he gained back from Larc before the battle started.

**SCOPE**

In an instant, the Scope Bat entered his armor and with the high sense of accuracy, he managed to shoot the whipped sickle away from Glaive with one shot each until she managed to land a couple of slashes onto its chest and head, causing it to stumble a few times. "Thanks!" Glaive thanked before she continued to rush forward, as Garren tagged along with her.

Meanwhile, as Larc continued to distract the Cobra Undead by shooting it from afar, Lance and I were rushing forward to attack on the agile Undead.

**TACKLE**

With the Tackle Boar entering my body, I suddenly rushed forward, trying to deliver my tackle onto it as Lance continued to swing its lance, distracting it even further as it parried his attack with its trident. With its back fully exposed, I immediately tackled it hard as Lance was able to dodge from its body slam in time before the three Undead regrouped once again as all of us Riders began to regroup also.

"Well, I guess it's time for the finishing touch, huh?" Lance said before he took out his Mighty card from his deck onto his hand. Before I can reply though, something unexpected happened. From out of nowhere, an unknown entity not only hits me, but _all_ of us Riders simultaneously before another, figures shot out its whip to slash us simultaneously, causing most of us riders to fall on the ground while I managed to balance myself with the wings helping me out… at least, not until a swing of a sledgehammer hit my helmet, which I joined them as slowly we pushed ourselves up and boy, aren't we surprised to see what's happening in front of us...

"Fuh~! I just love a practice swing on that rider… but I prefer to wait near the river better…" an Undead with a metal helmet that covered its face, having tusks mounted on his shoulder pads with a chain on his right elbow, wearing black leather armor that only covered the top and lower of its body, leaving its middle part of his body exposed and have a scorpion tail on its back as it rested its sledgehammer on its shoulders. This was the Elephant Undead.

"Ara~, seems to me you riders don't know how to play fair~!" Another Undead with a golden mask with frilly furs that spread out from outside of the mask, wearing full body armor with spiked shoulder pads as its right hand resembled an orchid flower, which allowed her to control multiple whips at the same time. This was the Orchid Undead.

"It's about _time_ things got even now…" Another Undead stated as it stands next to the other Undead. It has a black helmet as if it was grinning with its sharp teeth showing, with gold plated armor with black linings on it, holding a golden chakram on its right hand and wielding a golden buckler on the other hand. This was the Scarab Undead. All six of the Undead were standing in front of us.

"Aw geez… you gotta be kidding me!" I groaned. "Now we got the Scarab, Orchid, _and_ Elephant Undead _too_?!"

"This is bad! Now there's _SIX_ of them we have to handle?!" Larc asked annoyed.

"You know what the most annoying part is? That Scarab Undead can control time and it can attack us unexpectedly…" Lance informed them as all of us finally got back to our feet.

"So now, it's mano–a–mano, eh?" Chalice said while gripping his Arrow, seeming to like it for some reason.

"Make it one of them a two–on–one, Chalice." Garren pointed out as Lance and Larc were fighting together as one.

"I wonder if I can do this on my own… I don't have much fighting experience…" Leangle said worried.

"Don't worry! You'll be alright!" Glaive cheered her up before the six Undead began to push us riders onto separate fields to fight us off.

* * *

_As the Orchid Undead continued to push Chalice back into the nearby woods, Chalice gets back into his stance before he began his assault with his Arrow onto it. The Undead managed to sidestep the attacks while blocking a few of them with her orchid hand. Pushing him back, she immediately unleashed a few of her whips onto Chalice, causing him to not only get into the defensive stance but also taking some damage from the whip, causing sparks to appear on his armor as he ended up landing on the ground._

_"Ara, Ara~! I thought you would be better than that, Chalice. But from what I'm seeing, it seems like you can't handle a gentle plant like me~" It said with a giggle of its own, causing Chalice to be annoyed._

_"You're only just an eyesore." Chalice muttered as he gets back on his feet._

_"Ara~, you don't have to be that mean to me. Otherwise, I won't bloom well~" It teased before he took out a card from his pocket and from the looks of it; something came to his mind as he had a smirk behind his helmet._

_"But I bet you won't bloom with weeds around you, huh?" Chalice said to it, causing it to be confused before he placed his Rouzer onto his Arrow and roused it in an instant._

**BIO**

_In an instant, the Bio Plant hologram entered his armor as he punched the ground with his free hand, causing vines to wrap around the Orchid Undead, which she tried to struggle to untangle itself. "Gah! What is the meaning of this?!" the Undead exclaimed._

_"It's your end." Chalice said as he roused one more card._

**CHOP **

_The Chop Head entered his armor as he initiated his Bio + Chop jumped high to the sky. When he got up to a certain height, he shouts out the famous move done in the past. "Super~ Dai! Setsudan~!" He yelled out before he lunged his chop onto the Undead, causing an explosion to occur as the vines welted in an instant, dropping the motionless Undead to the ground. "You're finished…" Chalice said coldly before taking the Proper Blank and sealed up the Orchid Undead._

* * *

_"Whoa!" Glaive shouted as she continued to dodge the incoming attacks from whip–sickle the Undead continued to throw at her before the Undead pulled back the whip back at her hand. "Hah! Is that the best you can do?"_

_The tease from Glaive was enough to make the Serpent Undead furious as its hair slowly raised up. "You really think… I will only use this weapon alone?! I got others on my _head_!" It shouted before a few more whips extended from her hair and whips at Glaive before her whip–sickle caused damage onto her left arm, the chains wrapped around her body before being thrown to a nearby tree with a loud thud before letting the chains go, dropping her to the ground. "How do you like me _now_?!"_

_"Ow…" Glaive moaned in pain._

_"Now, be a good rider and _STAY_ down while I go kill you with my hair!" it declared before it shot out its hair onto the defenseless Glaive. She thought it would be the last of her as she could only cover her eyes inside her helmet until…_

_*SLASH*_

_"Gyah! My hair! MY BEAUTIFUL HAIR!" She shouted in anger as her hair was being cut down and when Glaive opened up her eyes, she saw Colm cut it with his iron sword in hand before Franz joined in to give out a slash onto the Undead, followed by an arrow being shot out from Neimi's bow, hitting her target._

_"Young warrior, are you alright?" Moulder asked as he came to Glaive looking at her condition._

_"It hurts a little…" Glaive told him as she sat up before Moulder uses his staff to heal her up._

_"Yah!" Franz yelled out as he slashed onto its body, causing it to stumble back._

_"How _dare_ you to cut my hair _and_ hurt me at the same time!" the Serpent Undead screeched being furious before it threw up its whip–sickle onto him, only to be blocked by Colm's iron sword._

_"That's because you have a bad hair day!" Colm joked before he advanced forward and delivered a few slashes onto its body before he struck down his dagger onto its leg, causing it to be temporary immobilized. Because of this, both men continued to attack it with their blades in hand as the Serpent Undead could only defend itself for the time._

_After a while, Moulder finished treating Glaive's wound and looked at the weakened Undead. "Now, young warrior, do what you must do."_

_"Right!" Glaive said before turning to the Undead. "Colm, Franz, get back! I got this!" She yelled before rousing a card._

**MIGHTY**

_Both Colm and Franz moved out of the way as Glaive rushed forward as the Mighty Gravity entered her Rouzer. In an instant, it emits crackles of thunder as her blade sharpened up in an instant. She starts off with a strong uppercut, followed by a downward cut before finishing it off with a side slash, turning her back onto the Undead as three cuts that resemble the letter 'A' appeared on the Serpent Undead, before it glowed radiantly and exploded, causing it to drop down on the ground while the body still burned._

_"Wow, that's some slashing power!" Colm said impressed._

_"I–It's similar to Kurogasa's slashing technique too…" Neimi added._

_"Nothing to it." Glaive grinned goofily sticking her tongue from under her mask before taking out the Proper Blank and sealed the Undead._

* * *

_"Hm…" the Elephant Undead pondered as it held its hammer on its hands. "What should I do with you, who can't fight properly?" Leangle clutches her Rouzer tightly before trying to thrust forward, only to have it parried to the side with its hammer before giving her a light tackle, causing her to take a few steps back. "I guess I could toy with you for a while before I get serious…" the Elephant Undead shrugged as Leangle tried her best by slashing it down, jabbing it, and even try to swing wildly at it, but the Elephant Undead just casually dodged left and right continuing to parry her attack until its swings its hammer to the back._

_"It's a HOOOOME RUN!" it shouted before delivering a swing of his own at Leangle, causing her to stumble back before tripping down on a small rock, the Undead letting out a yawn. "Man, what a boring Rider you are… well, I guess I should just finish you off since I had my fun…" the Elephant Undead said before he felt a slash on its back, catching its attention to see Joshua have a smile on his face before he delivered another one on its face._

_"Isn't it rude to hit a girl like that?" Joshua teased before the two began to have a battle of their own._

_Natasha came near her as she checked upon her friend who is on the ground. "Melissa, are you alright?" she asked concerned after seeing what the Elephant Undead did to her earlier._

_"I'm fine…" Leangle got out as she slowly got to her feet, with the assistance of Natasha._

_"Now _this_ is more like it!" the Elephant Undead rejoiced as it continued to swing its hammer onto Joshua, as he managed to dodge it with his speed and agility before landing a few blows onto its body._

_"Yeah, couldn't agree with you more!" Joshua said before he continued to attack it. Both of them continued to clash their weapons against each other and sparks can be seen, as both weapons collide. Seeing it was distracted, Leangle took out three cards in her hand from her side deck before she roused it onto her Rouzer, confusing Natasha._

**RUSH**

**BLIZZARD**

**POISON**

_"Are you sure you're ok? Do you need any healing, Melissa?" Natasha asked her as the three holograms of Rush Rhinoceros, Blizzard Polar Bear, and Poison Scorpion appeared at her back before it entered her armor, causing the tip of her Rouzer to be imbued with frost._

**BLIZZARD VENOM**

_"Don't worry. I'm fine." Leangle assured her before she rushes forward and leapt high to the sky._

_Joshua began to get tired as the Elephant Undead was waiting for his next move. "What's the matter? Don't tell me you're tired already?" the Undead said to him._

_"Nope, I still got one move left up my sleeve!" Joshua pointed out before he dashed forward, sliding between the Undead's legs as it misses its hammer on him before Leangle jumped down and stabbed her Rouzer on its back, causing it straightened up._

_"It may be true that I cannot fight well, but that does not mean I can find the right opportunity to strike back!" Leangle shouted at the Undead before she thrusted forward her Rouzer, causing the Elephant Undead to tumble forward before an explosion occurred. Joshua stood up from where he slid before as he cleaned off the dust from his trench coat while watching the burning Undead lying motionless on the ground._

_"That's some move you did there, Melissa." Joshua said impressed._

_"It's nothing special really." Leangle shrugged before taking out a Proper Blank and sealed the Undead._

* * *

_Garren and the Peacock Undead were fighting each other with hand–to–hand combat as it tried to attack him with its claw, only to be parried by his Rouzer before he aimed his Rouzer on its chest at point blank, releasing some of the shots onto its chest before kicking it down. Before Garren can shoot on its head though, it unleashed a few explosive feathers from its shoulder pad, pushing Garren back as it slowly raised itself up before slashing Garren with its claw a few times, causing him to stumble back even further. "I have already anticipated on your next actions, Garren. It's all within my calculations…" the Peacock analyzed on its surroundings before it shoots out another rain of explosive feathers before a barrier was cast in front of him, making the attack unable to touch him and leaves Garren in a confusion before he saw a fireball conjured towards the Peacock Undead, startling it. "What's this?! I didn't anticipate _that_!" the Undead said furiously before he turned around to see Artur and Lute to assist him._

_"Artur, Lute!" Garren shouted_

_"Are you all right?" Artur asked Garren._

_"I'm okay." Garren said. "Now blast him!"_

_"With pleasure." Lute smirked before conjuring up another fire spell and shot it towards the Peacock Undead._

_"Grr! There's no way I'll let you have your way!" The Peacock Undead grunted in anger before it countered back with its explosive feathers. Artur helped out Lute in conjuring some light attacks to annoy it before some of Lute's fireballs hit the mark. In an instant, Garren fanned out his Rouzer and took out three cards before he roused it._

**DROP**

**FIRE**

**GEMINI**

_Three holograms were conjured behind him as Garren got into his stance as the three cards entered into his armor._

**BURNING DIVIDE**

_In an instant, he leaped high to the sky while doing some somersault before the Gemini effect activated, creating a mirage of Garren next to him. Both of them passed over Lute and Artur, doing a few corkscrew spins before connecting four burning kicks onto the Peacock Undead, while landing on his knees with his back facing the Undead. The Undead drops down back first before it exploded, causing it to be motionless._

_"Seems like our tactics work well." Artur added._

_"Of course! With a genius like _me_ on your side, _anything_ is possible!" Lute boasted, as Garren sweat dropped._

_"You really need to learn how to be humble." Garren muttered before taking out a Proper Blank and sealing the Undead._

* * *

_Lance was having a showdown with the Cobra Undead as both of the trident and Lance Rouzer continued to clash in the middle and Larc continued to shoot from afar. Without warning, its tail whips Lance on his head in a quick manner, causing him to lose some balance before it saw the opportunity by landing a downward strike on his armor, causing him to stumble back a few times. "Fooooooood~!" the Cobra Undead yelled as it immediately tried to pounce on Lance with its jaw wide open, only to be shot in the mouth by Larc's arrow shots as she continued to advance to Lance while annoying the target._

_"Lance, are you okay?" Larc asked him._

_"Yeah, I guess… man, that's a pretty hard blow to receive at his end…" Lance muttered before the agile Cobra slashed its trident onto both of them, causing the two to tumble down once again after receiving the fast attack._

_"That snake is just _way_ too fast for us to catch up…" Larc said annoyed._

_"How are we supposed to _stop_ that thing? If only I asked Blade to borrow his Mach Jaguar before he fought off with that Time Scarab, maybe the whole battle would turn to our side…" Lance said to himself before the Undead tried to pounce at them again, only to have its tail stabbed deeply into the ground with a lance, courtesy of Gilliam. The Cobra Undead slumps down right in front of them before it lets out a hiss in pain._

_"Gilliam!" Lance and Larc cried out, surprised to see him helping them out as Vanessa rides along with her Pegasus, stabbing its body with her javelin._

_"Don't just stand there! Finish it off!" Gilliam urged._

_"Uh… right." Lance said before he and Larc roused their cards._

**MIGHTY**

**MIGHTY**

_In an instant, Mighty Impact's hologram entered into Lance's Rouzer as Mighty Ray's hologram entered hers as the Cobra Undead delivered a back hand attack onto Gilliam, hitting him at his sides as Vanessa's Pegasus kicks the Undead's head right on the money before Larc's charged up shot released in an instant, burning the top part of the Undead before Lance rushed forward, stabbing his Rouzer on its chest before slashing it upwards. Gilliam immediately took his lance and ran as quickly as possible before an explosion occurred. Vanessa's Pegasus landed on the ground as she looked upon the carnage they have dealt with. "That takes care of that…" Vanessa said as she mounted off from her Pegasus and check on Gilliam. "Are you alright?"_

_"Yeah, I'll live… it's just a bruise after all…" Gilliam added._

_"I wonder if the rest of them sealed their Undead." Larc wondered._

_"Don't know, but for now, let's help out Blade. That Scarab Undead is probably kicking his butt right now." Lance suggested before taking out a Proper Blank and sealed the Undead._

* * *

Man… that Undead is really fast! Just before I could land an attack on it, it suddenly appeared behind my back and slashed me with its chakram in hand. And when I tried to counter his attack, it suddenly clocked up and attacked me mercilessly. Even if I tried to use Mach Jaguar, it's just the matter of time before he hastened himself or paused me so that he can delivered back a few slashes of its own. In the end, I kneeled down in pain while I'm still in Jack Form as it appeared in front of me, crossing its arms. "If you already know you cannot catch up with me, why don't you just give up, Rider?" the Undead taunted me.

"Sorry, I'm bad at doing that." I scoffed as I tried to go for it again.

And as I have guessed, it immediately sped up and delivered an elbow to my back of my neck, causing me to drop down in an instant as I groaned in pain. It was then it stepped his foot on my helmet and looked down on me. "Just give up and let me take your life… and besides, your time is up…" It said before he slowly raised its chakram high to deal the final blow, only to have a slash on its back before it was kicked on its back by Chalice while I saw a piece of its cloth drop on the ground.

"To think that you'll be defeated by a simple Undead… what an eyesore indeed…" Chalice muttered before I heard Lance and Larc came to me and helped me getting back on my feet.

"Hey, buddy, are you okay?" Lance asked me.

"I'm fine…" I said slowly standing up. "Garren was right. The Scarab Undead _is_ a pain in the butt…" I muttered.

"If that's the case, I guess we should take the load off for you for a while!' Larc chirped up before she and Lance rushed forward and when I looked down, I noticed the piece of cloth Chalice cut off earlier and when I picked it up and looked to the front, I noticed that Chalice, Lance, and Larc froze in a moment as the Scarab Undead took its time to attack before it unleashed a few attacks of its own before he lets go of it and multiple sparks appeared on them, as they now groaned in pain.

"Oh, come on… not even three riders can beat me? That's quite a shame… I guess I should do the finishing blow…" the Scarab Undead shrugged before he noticed me stand up slowly. "Oh, what's this? You want some more? Well, I'll let you attack me first if you want before I finish you off…"

"No, Blade… he's too strong!" Lance groaned in pain before it stomped on his helmet and keeps its foot on him.

"Yeah, 'Blade'. Just listen to what your friend said and let me finish you off…" it added before he stomped again on his helmet, as Lance groaned in pain.

"Get your foot off… of my friend…" I warned him as I tightly clenched onto my Rouzer.

"I'm sorry, what's that? I can't hear what you just said since this rider is screaming in pain!" It mocked as it continued to press its foot on him.

"I SAID; GET YOUR FOOT OFF OF HIM!" I shouted in anger before my wings spread far and began to fly towards its direction and I bet it won't be expecting _this_ move! In an instant, it snaps its finger to freeze anything around it but to its surprise, I was still moving around normally as I slashed onto its helmet, startling it.

"W–What?! How in the world could you still move?!" The Scarab Undead said angrily as it prepared its stance for any attack I might do.

"All thanks to this~" I said in a somewhat sing–song tone as I held up his piece of cloth to which the Scarab Undead gasped at.

"NO!" The Scarab roared.

"That's right. And now that I got it, I can do this." I smirked under my mask as I held up three cards and roused them.

**KICK**

**THUNDER**

**MACH**

Three holograms of Kick Locust, Thunder Deer and Mach Jaguar appeared behind me before it entered into my armor as the move has been declared.

**LIGHTNING SONIC**

In an instant, the world slowed down in front of me as it tried to make an escape. I jumped high into the air before delivering the kick onto its back before it stumbled forward and exploded, leaving it motionless on the ground and the rest of the Riders were surprised to see it already defeated.

"What the…? When did you finish it off?" Chalice asked me as they finally stood up.

"Just now. And I have _you_ to thank for that Chalice." I said.

"Me?" Chalice blinked under his mask.

"Yep." I said holding up the piece of cloth. "Thanks to you taking this cloth off of him, when you slashed him, I was able to hack at him despite time being stopped for a while. So, thanks Chalice."

Chalice could only scoff as he looked away in annoyance. "It's not my purpose of helping you in anyway…"

"Come on~, just admit that you're actually glad you helped him out~!" Larc teased before–

*CHOP*

"Iteeeeeeeee!" Larc cried out as she held her helmet in pain.

"Just be quiet already…" Chalice muttered as the whole caravan came to our direction and I noticed something was off.

"Say, where's Eirika and Seth?" I asked them.

"And not to mention Ross and Garcia…" Lance added after he rubbed his helmet a few times.

"They're at the castle bridge; the place we should go to right now!" Joshua told us.

"We better hurry! The princess might be in trouble, even with General Seth, Garcia and his son around!" Franz informed me as Lance gets on his horse while Chalice and Larc gets on the caravan. But before we left, I took out a Proper Blank card and sealed the Undead. Once the card sealed it and flew back to my hand for me to catch, we went on our way.

* * *

_While Garcia and Ross confronted the remaining soldiers, pushed them off from the bridge and meeting their demise with some crocodiles in the lake, Seth and Eirika now confronted Murray as he held his lance on his right arm as he was surprised for a moment. "How can our soldiers lose to a mere soldiers such as yours?! Grr… I guess it's all up to me now! And what better way to start things off with you, Princess!" Murray said angrily before he thrust his lance forward but due to its slow movement, she was able to dodge it to the side before running towards his side. Seth immediately followed suit before he swings his sword onto the cavalier as he parries it with his lance. Eirika couldn't find a place for her to stab with her rapier due to the armor Murray wore. In the end, she managed to find one place she could see… she immediately found a place for her to land her foot on before she stabbed her rapier on his eyes, making him screamed in pain._

_"Gyah!" Murray screamed in pain before he pushed her to the side but what she didn't know was he pushed her close to the edge of the bridge._

_"Princess!" Seth cried out her name as Eirika tried to regain her balance but after a rather large stomp from Murray while trying to stab Seth with his lance, she couldn't control her balance and ended up falling towards the lake as she screamed out for help._

* * *

"EIRIKA!" I yelled as I swooped in and swept Eirika off her feet before she plunged into the lake of crocodiles. "Gotcha!" I said as I carried Eirika bridal style while flying. "You okay?"

"Eh?" Eirika asked a bit confused as she thought that she plunged to her death but she didn't. As she looked down, she realized she was in the air and suddenly held onto me tightly.

"Eirika!" Seth sighed in relief but not before he suddenly defended himself as he parried the attack from Murray's lance towards him.

Murray took a moment as Seth and the others have regrouped from all of the attacks, leaving Murray all alone on the bridge. "Impossible! I thought she would die with that plunge!"

"Sorry to disappoint you." I said as I landed safely on the ground and gently let down Eirika. "But she can't die yet! We won't let you do that!" Murray could only groan in anger before the seven riders stepped up and have one thing in mind. "Minna… RIDER KICK!" I shouted as the seven of us leaped high to the sky before delivering seven kicks attacking him simultaneously all over his armor before it was _his_ turn to fall down from the bridge and met his demise with the crocodiles.

"Well, that takes care of that…" Glaive said while looking at Murray being eaten by the crocodiles before the seven of us cancels out our transformation.

"C'mon! Let's save Her Highness's brother!" Franz pointed out as everyone entered the castle, leaving me and Eirika outside for a moment.

"Kurogasa, let's go… my brother is in there somewhere…" Eirika said to me as I nodded but before we entered in, she turned to me and landed a kiss on my right cheek before she smiled at me with a slight blush. "Thank you for saving me earlier…"

"Uh… sure…" I got out blushing before the two of us went in to save her brother.

* * *

Okay, we can end it there! Man that was awesome! We got six Undead sealed in one day! How awesome was that?! Anyways, get to reviewing!

**Spades:** A, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, **10**, J, Q  
**Diamonds:** A, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10, **J**, **Q**  
**Hearts:** A, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, **Q**  
**Clubs:** A, 2, 3, 4, **5**, 6, 8, 10, **J**


	10. Chapter 8: It's A Trap!

Okay guys, it's another chapter of Kamen Rider Blade: The Sacred Stones! Let's go!

Disclaimer: Same thing.

* * *

Chapter 8: It's A Trap!

We've just finished battling against Murray and managed to capture six Undead in one day. Hey, that rhymes! Hehe… Er–hem, anyways, that was a new record for us. Go figure. All of us entered the castle and it was… eerily quiet for some reason. Everyone was guard and Akira and I were talking in a low voice. "Hey big bro; did you notice anything strange about the battle we just had?" Akira asked me in a whisper.

"Strange? What do you mean by that?" I whispered back.

"Those guys weren't really serious when it comes to fighting. From what I see, they must've sent a weaker group to this place and maybe… just maybe, the stronger units are inside this castle, including a few strong knights…" Akira whispered back to me. It does kinda make sense. If that's the reason, could it be there are other motives that I don't know of? I can confirm one thing though… Valter isn't here since there aren't much Wyvern Riders that followed him…

"My brother is somewhere in this castle…" Eirika said while the rest followed behind her.

"And not to mention there are some treasures I can get my hands on too…" Colm said as if his spider senses were tingling…

"C–Colm!" Neimi stuttered, causing him to be alert all of the sudden.

"What?! If it's the enemy's chest, I'm gonna get it!" Colm told her, only to be shushed from the rest of them.

"Once a thief, always a thief…" Moulder summed up, making Colm scoff.

"Yep, I agree with you!" Mikoto chirped before Akira hushes her down. After a while, eventually, Eirika spotted someone from afar as she began to slow her pace, making the rest of us stop as well.

"Eirika, what's wrong?" I asked.

"Look, in the shadows– a figure…" Eirika said as the figure got closer to us as eventually, a Paladin walked towards us as he had brown chestnut hair, wearing dark brown shirt with silver armor with a cape, brown pants and boots and it seemed like Seth and Eirika recognized him since we don't, but… something is fishy about him…

"Sir Orson!" Eirika said as she lets out a sigh of relief after seeing the man.

"Princess Eirika, and… is that you, Seth?" Orson asked.

"Sir Orson…" Seth gasped. "Why are you here? You should be with Prince Ephraim."

"Are you all right, Orson?" Eirika asked as she stood next to Seth. "If you're here, my brother must be here as well, right?"

"Yes…" Orson nodded. "Prince Ephraim and I were both captured by Grado forces and held here as prisoners. I just managed to escape my cell… A chance to escape– It's what I had prayed for…"

"Orson… are you well?" Eirika asked concerned. "Your face is so pale. Grado's men, don't tell me they've–"

"No…" Orson waved off. "It's nothing. But Lord Ephraim… I cannot say whether he's still unharmed."

"What?!" Eirika gasped out. "Where is he? Where is my brother?"

"If he lives still, he will be one of the deeper cells, where I was held." Orson said, pointing down a hall. "Head down this corridor to the dungeons. Quickly, before reinforcements arrive."

"Thank you…" Eirika breathed as Orson led her down the castle hall, with the group following. Akira and I looked at each other, then back to Orson.

"Call me paranoid, but something's not right…" I told Akira frowning.

"I hear ya', big bro… it just doesn't make any sense at all… this _is_ enemy territory after all…" Akira added as we continued to followed suit.

* * *

After a while, Orson kept leading us to a place where supposedly, Ephraim was held, but from what I'm seeing here, there aren't any guards to alert about our presence at all… this is why Akira and I are a bit suspicious. "This way, Princess Eirika. Prince Ephraim is being kept in a cell back here." Orson said as he continued to lead the party.

"…Sir Orson. How long ago were you taken prisoner?" Seth asked. Orson stopped for a moment and turned around to face us.

"Some two weeks past." Orson explained, but Akira and I ain't buying it… "Prince Ephraim and I were forced to surrender. We've been held captive here in this dungeon since that black day."

"Wow, what that shaman guy said was true _after_ all…" Storm replied.

"You're telling _me…_ and I thought he was just talking big…" Amber added.

"Did you gain any news from your captors during that time?" Gilliam asked.

"Unfortunately, no. Not a word… Our Daily meal was brought to us by servants from the neighboring village." Orson told us, which doesn't make any sense at all. Over the last few days of travelling around here, even on our camp, the nearest village we can see is… half a day to get here. Just how would they get this far anyway? "They were instructed not to speak to us, and we heard nothing of the war." He added.

"Big bro, that doesn't make any sense at all… anyone from within the castle should've heard some weapons clashing…" Akira whispered to me.

"I know… we should listen to him some more…" I told him before Orson continued.

"Tell me, Seth. How fares Renais?" Orson asked him.

"…Renais has fallen. King Fado… The king is dead."

This caused Orson to gasp in shock. Or was he? "Dead… My king…" Orson then looked down in sadness, or as I said, _was_ he. "My apologies, Princess Eirika. I have served you poorly."

"You're not to blame, Sir Orson." Eirika said, shaking her head. "We must look to the future, not find fault in the past. The Grado army pursues me in hopes of acquiring my bracelet. My brother wears this bracelet's twin, and he is in danger, too." The princess added.

"Bracelet?" Orson mused. "Ah, I remember… Prince Ephraim still wears the bracelet. And Grado is after them? If that's the case, Princess…" Orson began, holding a hand out. "Perhaps you should entrust the bracelets to someone else."

Ok, something is definitely wrong. Based on what Orson claimed, Ephraim is still in chains in the dungeons and yet he is here with us. Why would Orson leave Ephraim behind and suddenly remember something about his bracelet? It's as if he's… Wait a minute. Seth said something about Emperor Vigarde somehow knowing the secrets of the bracelet. That could only mean– I looked at Akira and I could tell he had come to the same conclusion. We looked to each other and nodded in understanding, before turning our heads back to Orson.

"Perhaps, but…" Eirika began before Orson cut her off.

"Give them to me or to Seth. Let someone you trust guard them. If the Empire desires your bracelet, you are in danger as long as you hold it. For your own safety, Your Highness, please. What say you? We must not allow the Sacred Stone of Renais to be taken."

And there it is!

"Everything you say is true and sensible, yet…" Eirika began. At that point, Akira and I got in front of her, pointing our Rouzers at Orson. "Kurogasa? Akira?" She asked in confusion.

"I suggest you step away from the Princess, Sir Orson." I frowned.

"I beg your pardon?" he said in confusion as Akira kept his Rouzer pointing at his face.

"Kurogasa, Akira, what's the matter with both of you?" Melissa–sempai asked me.

"Oh, it's nothing… it's just plain fishy, that's all…" I told her.

"Fishy?" Orson asked raising an eyebrow as he began to bargain with us. "Young warriors, can't you see I'm unarmed? Do you think they allow prisoners weapons?" He added but neither of us lowered down our Rouzers. "What kind of injury have you taken that you suggest such foolishness?" He asked.

"Yeah, it just doesn't make any sense at all… I mean, he doesn't have his weapons on him…" Mikoto told us.

"I'm sorry to say this, but both big bro and I don't seem to understand one bit about your explanations…" Akira frowned.

"What do you mean by that?" Gilliam added.

"Why did no enemy reinforcements come from the castle during our battle outside?" I started first.

"There were enemies coming out earlier from the castle!" Ross tried to deny but it seemed the greater experienced Garcia understood what I was saying.

"No, the boy states the truth…" Garcia added as the rest were a bit surprised from what he's telling. "It's true they deployed out the reinforcements, but from what I saw, most of them were just new recruits who don't know how to handle their weapons properly… I know this because of my experience. And that's the reason why you didn't have much trouble at all, Ross…"

The first question has been answered and they began to have doubts on this guy. It was then Akira's turn to question him. "Secondly, why would you escape your cell and yet leave Prince Ephraim in chains?"

"It was because I need to assure his safety from the Grado Soldiers from killing him…" Orson answered.

"No, not really…" I countered back. "Eirika told me that her brother is not only a superb fighter, he's also a guy who knows he can fight in a battle that he can win. In this case, he should've joined with you to make an escape, not being a weakling. Even without weapons, I'm sure he'll fight back the soldiers by taking their weapons and use it to his advantage." I pointed out, making Eirika remember about it. By now, the suspicion has gotten worse for Orson.

"And finally, how do you know of the tie between the bracelets and the Sacred Stone?" Akira asked.

"The only ones who knew about it is Seth and the king himself… there's NO WAY you'd know about it…" I told him, causing him to be in a bit of a panic.

"What is the meaning of this?!" Orson demanded as he looked upon Seth. "Seth, there is some misunderstanding here. I…"

"There _IS_ no misunderstanding!" I snapped. "There's only one explanation for all of this! YOU, SIR ORSON, HAVE TURNED TRAITOR!"

"What?!" Everyone asked surprised, except Akira since he still noticed something about him.

"And please… if you're saying you're unarmed, I suggest you put down the blade that you concealed within your doublet." Akira said Orson stepped back and kept quiet to himself.

"Orson? What is the meaning of this?" Seth asked before he muttered something that I knew he would say.

"Very well. You have caught me red–handed…" Orson sighed.

Excuse me?" Eirika asked confused before I explained her, the REAL situation that we're in.

"If my hunches were right… and there's no doubt about it, once he had your bracelet, there's a possibility that he would want to take you as a hostage." I explained, making her gasp in shock.

"For strange warriors, that was impressive. If only Eirika had been alone, it would've worked."

"I can't believe you'd stoop this low! You sold your nation out and worse yet sold your own soul! Why did you betray Renais?!" I demanded.

"Hey, buddy, calm down!" Storm said trying calm me down.

"My fondest wish will be granted… To spend the rest of my days in the embrace of my loving wife once more…" Orson said.

"What are you _saying_?" Eirika asked before another General with red full armor with golden linings holding his lance came to him, along with some of his elites, happy about the situation we're in right now.

"Okay, what's the deal here?" Colm asked as Neimi stayed behind her.

"Beats me…" Mikoto shrugged.

"Lord Tirado…" Orson acknowledged bowing in his presence.

"That's enough. You've done well, Orson. I'll take over now. You may return to your beloved wife." Tirado told Orson before the latter bowed again and took his leave with some of his soldiers before he started to face us. "We have not met before. I am Tirado; Loyal and talented adjutant to Valter, General of the Grado army."

"Valter?!" Seth growled. "You're that monster's–"

"And you are General Seth of Renais, yes?" Tirado continued. "I thought to catch a little bird in my net, and it seems instead I've snared a hawk and a bunch of insects."

"Hey! Who are you calling a bunch of insects?!" Mikoto snapped wanting to maul the guy, but Akira stopped her by holding her back. Well, it is kinda true. Blade, Garren, Chalice, and Leangle's armor _are _based off of insects. Heck, Kamen Rider is mostly based on insect, _especially_ back in the Showa Era.

"Where is my brother?!" Eirika demanded.

"Ah, yes. Your brother. He's not here." Tirado answered. "The coward fled Lord Valter's pursuit… Somehow, he escaped the castle. And escaping under these conditions… Tch! Such stubbornness is quite annoying. It was my cunning that led us to turn this unfortunate blunder to our advantage."

"By spreading false information about Ephraim's capture." I deducted.

"For a strange warrior, you're smart." Tirado smirked. "And what better trap with which to catch his sweet, devoted sister?"

"My brother escaped?" Eirika said, blinking.

"Yes, but your no–doubt emotional reunion will have to wait until the afterlife." Tirado replied before he and his soldiers backed away from us. "Let's end this, shall we? All soldiers to arms! Kill the princess! Take her bracelet!" Just when we armed ourselves with our weapons in hand, we heard some sort of an explosion from behind and it turns out the bridge suddenly collapsed thanks to his soldiers and much to our surprise before Tirado went back to his throne and his elite soldiers began to occupy the area.

"Princess Eirika, we have to get away from this place!" Seth told the rest of us.

"But _how_? The bridge is gone!" Eirika told him,

"Blast!" Seth cursed.

"Oh, brother… I'm so sorry… I…" Eirika began to tear up for a moment, wanting to say that she's just a burden to the group.

"Eirika, get a hold of yourself." I said putting my hands on her shoulders.

"But…" Eirika began

"Don't worry, Your Highness. It's not your fault." Seth spoke first.

"He's right, we are yours to command and we'll help you out in any way we can." Vanessa added.

"Your good deed for the sake of the continent is something we've thrived to achieve for…" Moulder followed suit.

"I thank you for helping me, even though we're from the enemy lines. And now, we're joining for the same cause…" Natasha said with a smile on her face.

"Besides, if it wasn't for you to letting us join your cause, Neimi and I would've continued to live aimlessly!" Colm said as Neimi nodded in agreement.

"From what I see, you seem not to be a burden to us… it is to Grado for not seeing your goal and trying to stop you in any way they can! And it's their loss!" Mikoto joined in.

"Sure, some of us may have led to a bad start when we started to travel together, but eventually, everyone gets along just _fine_, all thanks to you!" Lute added.

"So, please, don't blame yourself for your good deed. We're all here to share your burden, Eirika." Melissa–sempai consoled as everyone gave her a nod of assurance with a smile on their faces.

"Everyone…" Eirika was touched by their determination.

"And don't worry. We'll get out of this alive and together. I won't let anything happen to you. I promise." I added.

She then looked at me before she gave a nod while wiping her tears away. "Yes… we shall do that!" Eirika said while she took out her rapier in hand as the rest of us riders held our Rouzers tightly without our armor just yet, due to requirement of a little recharge for our AP that we used earlier against the six Undead.

"So, what are we standing _around_ here for?" Storm said as he held his Lance Rouzer on his shoulder.

"Yeah! We still got to take down that Tirado guy and claim his throne!" Amber added as she took out her Larc Rouzer from her side pocket as she was ready to fight as well.

"With careful planning that I have in mind, things should be alright!" Akira assured me as his Garren Rouzer was still in his side pocket, prepared to use it at any time.

"Though saving her brother is out of our hands, we should, for now, protect the princess with our lives." Melissa–sempai added with her Rouzer in hand and a smile on the other.

"Just as long as they can entertain me, I'm fine with that…" Kurai added before he held his Chalice Arrow in hand.

"I'm gonna make them pay for what they did to the innocent people around here!" Mikoto said determined as she gripped her Glaive Rouzer tightly, her blade held downward, like a ninja holding his kunai.

"Let's do this everyone!" I said holding my Rouzer out as the soldiers came at us and we all charged in.

* * *

_"Eirika!" A young warrior with short deep sky blue hair, wearing black armor and shoulder pads, greaves, bracers and shield, all in golden linings with black cape and red underneath it, wearing white pants and holding his spear with a teal blue cloth tied on the end entered into the castle. At that time, he had a bracelet underneath the shield he is holding._

_Behind him, he was followed by a man with green hair, wearing armor, shoulder pads, gloves and greaves, all in green with yellow linings, black shirt and white pants; as he held his spear on his right hand, while on his horse. "Prince Ephraim, I hear sounds from the east corridor. Sounds like fighting." the man informed._

_Another man follows suit riding on his horse as he has blonde hair that is tied in a ponytail, wearing an armor, greaves and bracers, all in red with yellow linings, although less pads on his armor than usual, over his black shirt and white pants as he held his spear and walks together with the warrior. "Do you think it could be General Seth and Princess Eirika?"_

_"There's no doubt about it…" Ephraim said before he gets down to his objectives. "We have two goals here, men: save Eirika and vanquish the enemy!" He said as he turned around and faced his loyal knights. "Kyle, Forde. Are you ready?"_

_"Yes your Highness." Kyle answered. _

_"As always." Forde added. _

_"Lord Ephraim, we should join forces with Princess Eirika first. We should be able to reach them by way of the eastern corridor." Kyle suggested. _

_"Come now, Kyle. That seems like a lot of trouble when we could just crush Grado between us." Forde said._

_"'A lot of trouble'?" Kyle asked incredulously. "Forde you're as insolent as you are careless! If anything were to happen to Princess Eirika, we Knights of Renais would…" Before Kyle could finish, he was shut up by Forde covering his mouth._

_"Fine, fine. I see where you stand. Calm down, before you boil over." Forde sighed irritably before uncovering his mouth. "Prince Ephraim will decide. How shall we proceed Your Highness?"_

_"We await your command, Prince Ephraim." Kyle said._

_"Both of you follow me!" Ephraim ordered._

* * *

_The teams were decided as Akira had their objective planned out. They were to block both sides of the throne room, considering the fact that most castles have the same interiors as others. While one team leads to the west which consists of Seth, Franz, Eirika, Kurogasa, Akira, Natasha, Melissa, Mikoto, Garcia and Neimi on one side, the other group consists of Colm, Storm, Amber, Kurai, Gilliam, Artur, Lute, Vanessa, Ross, Moulder and Joshua are going to the north._

_As team A rushed towards the door, they noticed a door right in front of them and it was locked. "Darn it. It's locked!" Storm said while trying to turn the door open._

_"This is the other way in to get to the throne room, other than the path the other group has taken…" Moulder said expressing his opinion._

_"Then, what should we do now?" Gilliam asked._

_"Leave it to me." Colm smirked._

_"Huh?" The rest said in confusion until Vanessa remembered something._

_"Of course. With Colm around, he should be able to pick the lock on the door." Vanessa added as Colm began to do his job with his lock–picking skills._

_"It's a good thing we have _him_ around…" Amber said with a sigh of relief._

_"Yeah, otherwise, I might just bust the door wide open with just my blade…" Kurai told them as Lute confronted him._

_"Brute strength won't do the trick. Since the door could not be easily judged by what kind of wood it uses and its durability it is nearly impossible to break it open. A little magic flame of mine should do the trick." Lute analyzed._

_"And let me guess… you know this because you're the genius mage?" Kurai deadpanned._

_"Exactly!" Lute boasted._

_"Shouldn't it be better if we just destroyed the lock instead of destroying the whole door?" Storm suggested from out of the blue, which put both Kurai and Lute in silence._

_"That would work." both of them said in unison._

_"Honestly, Lute… you should be humble at times…" Artur sighed. _

_After a while of chatting, eventually, the sound of a 'click' was heard from the door signaling that Colm was done his lock–picking skill. "There we go! All done!" Colm said as he opened up the door and saw a treasure chest right at the middle of it… but there's a catch._

_"There's the intruder! Off with their heads!" An elite knight told the rest of four knights that surrounded the room as the five of them armed themselves while protecting the treasure chest behind them._

_"Crap… I didn't expect _that_ to happen…" Colm gulped as Gilliam, Vanessa, Storm, Kurai and Joshua stepped up to the front._

_"Oh, don't worry about these tin can idiots! We can take them down!" Storm said confidently._

_"But are you sure? Without your armor and all, it could cause trouble for you two…" Ross said concerned._

_"Oh, don't worry about us! We know we can fight them off!" Amber assured before they noticed a few Mages and Shamans appeared down the hallway._

_"In the meantime, we should take care of them…" Lute said as she gets into her stance._

_"I agree… let the ones with their lances and swords in hand take care of the knights…" Artur suggested as he, Colm, Amber, Lute, and Moulder stepped forward._

_"Look on the upside at least we can take them down with our blade and magic!" Amber chirped up._

_"And if any of you get injured, I shall be there immediately to heal you all up." Moulder added as two sides of the battle began._

* * *

Seth, Franz, Eirika, Akira, Natasha, Melissa–sempai, Mikoto, Garcia, Neimi and I continued our way towards the west side from where we started earlier, according to Akira's plan. And as we expected, there are more soldiers in here than what we saw at the entrance and outside on the field earlier today as they anticipated our arrival. There were also some knights to assist them as well, which could be another trouble for us since this time we're dealing with the elites, according to Garcia. As Seth, Franz and Garcia take down a few of the knights, Melissa–sempai does her usual trademark by stomping their toes with her staff, which was more effective on them as they let their guard down on a Sister as they didn't think about the staff she was holding until they got themselves killed by the hands of Mikoto, Eirika, and mine. Neimi and Akira took out some of the Archers and Mages from afar since they can cast it from faraway places without getting attacked in close combat. As Neimi took out some of the archers, Akira makes a mad dash and jumped to the side to see two Shamans hiding in the hallway while he tried to cast their spells to attack them, but not before Akira pulled the trigger and ended them in an instant. Just before he could stand up, a spearman tried to stab him, only to have him blocked and killed by Melissa–sempai's stab onto them.

"Thanks, big sis!" Akira thanked as Melissa–sempai looks at him with her smile on her face.

"Think nothing of it, Akira." Melissa–sempai replied back.

"I think you'd be better as a warrior than a cleric, big sis…" Akira suggested.

"But I think I prefer to be in this costume better… Think of me as… a Battle Sister…" Melissa–sempai told him before she prepared her stance once again as more spearmen walks out from the hallway. Just as Mikoto, Eirika and I just finished them off, a few Mercenaries appeared right after that, much to my chagrin.

"Oh, great… another one!" I groaned in anger.

"At least we got some experience with the real battle!" Mikoto said trying to lift up the mood.

"And we are just a few steps away from getting to the throne room. We shall continue on with our battle!" Eirika said as the three of us battled on with them. As Mikoto parried one of the attacks from a Mercenary, she retaliated back with a quick slash with her Rouzer onto his gut, followed by a stab on his neck. While another parries one of my attacks with his broad sword, he tried to slash downward on me, only to hit nothing, but not before I quickly disarmed him by cutting his arms off before finishing it off with a pierce stab on his skull, making its way to his brain before he dropped dead on the ground. Eirika seemed to have no trouble at all, until she tripped on a corpse nearby and she landed on her back. The Mercenary battling her saw this opportunity.

"Eirika!" I shouted as just when the Mercenary is about to land the finishing blow, I saw a spear impale through his chest before he drops dead before seeing the person who saved her.

"Eirika, are you well?" I saw a man wearing black armor and shoulder pads, greaves, bracers and shield, all in golden linings with black cape and red underneath it, wearing white pants and holding his spear with a teal blue cloth tied on the end.

"Brother?!" Eirika gasped. Wait, that's Eirika's brother?! "Is it really–" She then immediately ran over to him and practically jumped into his arms hugging him as tears ran down her face. "You're alive! You're alive!"

Ephraim returned the hug of his sister before the two looked each other as he puts a smile on his face. "Well, of _course_ I am. After we escaped Renvall, I thought I'd strike a blow against the Emperor _himself_." He said before getting into a concerned tone. "When I heard that you'd been waylaid by the enemy, however, I turned back to find you. Looks like my timing was impeccable."

Eirika looked gloomy for a moment as she began to say something back to her brother. "I'm so sorry. The irony is that I was trying to rescue _you_. All I did was interfere with your plans…"

"What are you _talking_ about?" Ephraim asked her in his cool tone, making Eirika surprised. "You came to help me, didn't you? Your efforts alone are enough to inspire me." He said to her before Eirika smiles at him once again. "Come, Eirika! The enemy awaits."

"All right!" Eirika said before he and two other knights that followed him entered the castle until he noticed me.

"Oh? Who might _you_ be?" Ephraim asked me in his casual tone. For a brother of Eirika, he sure can be calm at times.

"I'm Kurogasa. And you must be Prince Ephraim."

"Indeed I am." Ephraim nodded before he noticed my Rouzer on my hand. "That's quite a blade you got there. Which craftsmen made it for you?"

"Uh… that's a long story, but I can tell you after we settled this matter with Tirado. How's that sound?" I offered.

"I got no trouble with that. We better hurry then!" Ephraim said before he rushed forward as Neimi approached me.

"H–He seems… n–nice." she stuttered for a bit.

"Yeah, he does." I said.

* * *

_As Seth took down another knight, both Ephraim and Seth met face to face and Seth couldn't be happier to see him safe and sound. "Prince Ephraim." Seth said with an assured tone._

_"General Seth! You're safe!" Ephraim exclaimed as Seth just nodded in agreement._

_"Princess Eirika is safe as well." Seth added before his face turned into a concerned look. "I'm afraid I have much news to relate to you. That will have to wait, though. For now, we must cut our way out of here."_

_"Yes. Let's conclude business here before we talk of other matters. Come on!" Ephraim called forth as Seth held his sword tightly while following the prince to attack the oncoming attackers._

_"Yes, sire!"_

* * *

_At the same time, Franz was having a hard time dealing with another knight as Garcia finished off one of them before another knight attacked him. A red blur suddenly entered the fray and stabbed his lance though the helmet of the knight, killing him instantly before Franz was happy to see someone again. "Brother!" Franz exclaimed as Forde looks at him with his casual smile on his face._

_"Ha! Franz! How've _you_ been?" Forde asked his little brother._

_"I should ask _you_! We'd heard you were captured by Grado's men. I was _worried_!" Franz said._

_"Worried? I ride with Prince Ephraim, little brother." Forde said ruffling his brother's hair. "Death will have a tough time batching anyone who rides with our prince! But it's not like we've avoided trouble altogether, that's for sure." He then noticed something about his little brother. "Hm? Say, have you grown taller on me?"_

_"I _have_." Franz said being a bit smug. "I've also finished my training. I'm now a sworn Knight of Renais. You just watch! I'm going to be on par with General Seth one day!"_

_"You want to be like the general, eh?" Forde asked. "…What about _me_?"_

_"Oh I still want to be like you, _too_, Brother!"_

* * *

_Along the way, Kyle managed to take down a few Mercenaries as both he and Seth are now back to back, as they put their guard up for an enemy attack. At the same time, they have a conversation of their own. "General Seth!" Kyle exclaimed as Seth took a quick glance before he looked back to the front with a smile on his face._

_"Well met, Kyle. I never thought for a moment that you could be bested easily." Seth added as he saw Eirika and Ephraim took down a few more knights and spearmen along the way._

_"No, sir!" Kyle stood firm with his talk as he continued. "And I never doubted that I would see you again."_

_"Kyle." Seth began. "About Orson…" Kyle held up a hand to stop him from saying anything else._

_"We heard it all." Kyle sighed. "Unbelievable, isn't it? But facts are facts."_

_"Yes. If Orson can turn his back on Renais… We remaining nights will have to work all the harder to prove ourselves! Let's go, Kyle!" _

_"Yes, sir!"_

* * *

_With the last thrust of lance onto the knight, courtesy of Gilliam and Vanessa working together and the last thrust from Colm and Joshua onto the remaining mages, all of the soldiers of Grado has been defeated. "Well, that takes care of them…" Colm said with a satisfied grin on his face after taking down some men as Artur noticed Amber was at the corner, sitting, and trembling really bad._

_"Lute, what's wrong with her?" Artur asked._

_"I don't know… but it must have something to do with these men over here…" Lute analyzed as Storm took a glance around his area and noticed there was blood everywhere._

_"Her hemophobia is acting up…" Storm said concerned tone as he walked towards her direction and tried to console her. Amber suddenly hugged him tightly as her tears flowed out from her eyes._

_"Oh… I didn't know she _had_ that kind of fear…" Vanessa said concerned tone as Storm managed to calm her down._

_"She doesn't usually tell anyone about this other than him as she doesn't want to cause a burden to you guys…" Kurai explained._

_"That's very thoughtful of her, despite her fears…" Moulder praised for her bravery._

_"Yes, but still… her fears will get the best of her…" Gilliam added._

_"Say, can anyone get me a scarf or anything to cover her eyes for now? She doesn't like seeing too much blood around here until we get into the throne's room." Storm asked them._

_Everyone looked around, until Joshua found one that isn't tainted in blood from one of the mages handing it to Storm. "Will this do?"_

_"Yeah, I guess." Storm added before he wrapped Amber's eyes with it before letting her ride on his back. Kurai holds onto her while Gilliam holds onto Storm's Rouzer which to his surprise, it was an extremely light, yet powerful device. "Well then, let's get to the throne room, shall we?" He suggested as the rest nodded before continuing on with their trip to the throne room as Amber could only lay her head onto his back while wrapping her arms around his neck for her safety._

* * *

After a while, as the rest of us went towards the direction, we noticed there was a room in there and nothing else… "Eh? A dead end?" Akira said surprised as Mikoto looked a bit confused about the door before she starts to lock–pick by destroying the door handles.

"Um, young lady, what are you doing?" Kyle asked Mikoto as Akira and I seemed to remember something about her habit.

"If there's something that piques her curiosity, she'll get to the bottom of it…" Akira told them as she continued where he left off.

"And she'll be doing so until she sees the end of it…" I added, leaving some of them in a sweat drop.

"My, my… she really _is_ active…" Melissa–sempai said as she couldn't help but have a sweat drop of her own.

"Yes, such youth these days…" Natasha added as Mikoto finally managed to open the door to find some treasure chest with no guards guarding them.

"Ooooooh, treasure." Mikoto said goofily. Yep, that's another thing about her. When she sees treasure, she's in Nami mode. Like Nami in One Piece, she just goes for the treasure.

"But still… you said something about a passageway here, young man? Where is it?" Garcia asked Akira as he began to inspect the wall. Ephraim could only wait as both of his men were confused by Akira's actions.

"What's he doing?" Kyle asked.

"Beats me…" Forde said nonchalantly.

"Let the kid do his thing. I know he knew something about it…" Ephraim said in an assured tone. In the meantime, Mikoto was able to break both of the treasure chests' pads and I was wondering… what kind of an expression would she have when she found what was inside it?

"Ooooooh, a shiny whip."

"A whip?" I said as Mikoto brought out an iron lance with a whip in hand as Seth easily identified it

"Ah, this is an Elysian Whip. It's a promotion item like Orion's Bolt. It's for someone like Vanessa in order to join one of the great Pegasus group known as Falcon Knights or even Wyvern Knights. For the Wyvern Riders, they can become a Wyvern Knight or a Wyvern Lord." Seth explained to me.

"Oh…" I said.

"Aha! There you are." Akira said. Everyone gained back to his attention as Akira seemed to find something interesting.

"What did you find, Akira?" Eirika asked him.

"This wall here is weak and can be easily crushed down. If we can find a certain weak spot on this thing, this wall can crumble down in an instant." Akira analyzed as I thought I could use the Tackle Boar once again, but instead, Ephraim stepped forward and looked upon the wall that he mentioned.

"A weak spot, huh? I think I can find one…" Ephraim said confidently before he gets into a stance.

"What is he doing?" Melissa–sempai asked.

"What you're about to see is something that he's famous for with his lance." Forde told her.

"By breaking through this wall?" Natasha asked in confusion.

"Just watch and see…" Kyle added before Ephraim lets out a yell before he thrusts his lance _THROUGH_ the wall which he hits right on the money before he pulled it out and thrusts it one more time in a different spot. After he pulls out his lance, the wall eventually crumbled down in an instant.

"Whoa!" Mikoto said in shock after witnessing the whole thing.

"Ditto." I agreed.

"Well, _that_ was easy…" Ephraim said as he rested his lance back onto his shoulders before looking at us. "Well, we shouldn't keep him waiting. Let's go!"

"At once, sire!" The knights of Renais shouted in unison before the rest of them went through the hole he made earlier as the rest of us riders were surprised about and Eirika looked at me in her normal look on her face.

"Wow… that was… new." Melissa–sempai got out.

"Yeah, he only uses his lance just to destroy a wall, where we rely on our cards to do our job…" Akira added.

"That's the reason why my brother is famous for his lance skills…" Eirika said. "Forgive me for not mentioning it sooner, Kurogasa…"

"It's okay." I waved off. "But once we get to Tirado, he's gonna be in for a surprise too." I smirked.

Eirika could only let out a giggle before she replied back, "Indeed, he will. Now, come! We must reunite with others on the other side!" she said before the rest of us began to run off to catch up with them.

"What am I supposed to do with this whip?" Mikoto asked while whipping it around happily.

"Just… keep it in your pouch for the time being, Mikoto–chan…" Akira replied with a sweat drop.

* * *

After a while, both groups began to reunited as one after we took down the rest of the mages left behind as Storm walks up to me with his usual smile. "Hey, buddy! You made it!" Storm chirped up as I looked at Amber who had a blindfold on before he noticed it. "Oh, don't worry about Amber. Her hemophobia acted up again…" Storm said with a sweat drop.

"You okay Amber?" I asked concerned.

"Yeah… I'm fine…" Amber said as Storm puts her down as she was still a bit wobbly before she regained her footing. She then removed the blindfold she wore around her eyes and shakes her head a little bit before perking up. "I think you should worry more about Eirika, though…" Amber said with a slight giggle, leaving her brother oblivious as the others, other than me, Storm, her, and Melissa–sempai, confused for a moment, while Eirika had a slight blush from the comment.

"Amber!" Eirika shouted at her, which only made Amber giggle louder as Ephraim could only scratch his head in confusion.

"I can't understand them at times…" Ephraim admitted.

"Me either, Your Highness…" Kyle added as he was serious about his work as I coughed out to gain back their attention.

"If that's the case, I guess we should say hi to our assailant right now…" I said before everyone entered the throne room.

"Hm… dis my soldiers do their work? Did they trap them in a corner like a rat on the west side of the castle or ambushed them in one of the rooms that has only one path to lead to this room?" Tirado pondered before he lets out a laugh of his own. "Either way, the princess's bracelet is mine!"

"Not quite!" I shouted as he was shocked to see the rest of us enter the room, as we managed to take down every soldier we found.

"That's impossible! Those are my elite soldiers! There is no way such mere fighters like you can defeat them all!" Tirado said in an angry tone before he noticed both Prince Ephraim and Eirika in front of him.

"Truth to be told, they were a bit handful for us to deal with…" Ephraim told him.

"…but that alone won't stop us from getting here." Eirika added.

"Besides, we just created a tunnel on the west side of the castle…" I told him, which made Tirado surprised.

"And not to mention most of your strongest knights at the east side were easily taken down by our blades through their thickest armor…" Joshua said nonchalantly, which triggered Tirado's anger.

"Look on the bright side! At _least_ you're making _me_ stronger with those guys around!" Ross mocked before Tirado stood up from his throne and slammed the hilt of his lance to command seven more of his swordsmen that he kept safe.

"Oh? You wanna take us down? Fine with me!" Ephraim said as he and his two knights prepared their lances and sword, but not before I intervened. "Kurogasa?"

"What are you doing, boy?" Kyle asked him as the seven of us Riders stepped forward.

"Everyone, is it okay to let us take over from here?" Akira asked as most of them had no problem with it, causing the prince and his knights to be confused.

"It's time for a little exercise…" Kurai said while resting his Chalice Arrow on his shoulders.

"What is he doing? No– what are _they_ doing?" Ephraim asked as Eirika approached to her brother.

"Just wait and see…" Eirika told him.

"Just don't keep us waiting too long, Kurogasa!" Colm shouted from a corner as the rest just stayed back while Lute continued to read her book.

"Right. Minna, ikuzo!" I said. All seven of us then took out our cards.

"Cards?" Ephraim asked confused. We then took out our buckles and put them to our waist as a deck of cards wrapped around our waist surprising Ephraim, Forde, and Kyle for a bit. The deck of cards turned into our belts and pulsing noises were heard, as we seven Riders got into our poses.

"What are those strange poses they're doing?" Kyle wondered.

"I wonder that myself." Forde added.

"Eirika? What's going on?" Ephraim asked.

"Just watch." Eirika smiled.

"Henshin!"

**TURN/OPEN UP**

**CHANGE**

Seven holograms of our Category Aces flew right towards the seven swordsmen, pushing them back before it slowly went towards us. Once we entered our portals, we were now donned with our armor, along with our Rouzers in our hand. At the same time, Prince Ephraim and his two other knights were surprised by our sudden transformation.

"W–What _is_ that?!" Kyle asked shocked to witness it firsthand, as Forde only raised his eyebrows in curiosity.

"Eirika, who _are_ those guys?" Ephraim asked her.

"They're Kamen Riders." Eirika answered.

"Kamen Riders?" Ephraim, Forde, and Kyle asked.

"That's right." I said as the seven of us turned to face the prince and his two knights. "We are the upholders of justice. When in this armor, I am known as Kamen Rider Blade."

"For me I'm Kamen Rider Garren." Akira said.

"I'm known as Kamen Rider Chalice." Kurai added.

"And I'm Kamen Rider Leangle." Melissa–sempai said.

"They call me Kamen Rider Glaive." Mikoto chirped.

"As for me, Kamen Rider Lance." Storm said smugly.

"And me, Kamen Rider Larc." Amber finished.

Tirado was surprised to see our transformations as well as he began to have a smug look on his face. "If I get my hands on their strange devices, maybe I could even rule over this _nation_!" he pondered to himself before he saw his seven swordsmen stand up from their fall. "Kill them now!"

After we heard from that Tirado, we immediately shifted our focus back onto them before getting our weapons ready. "C'mon! Let's show them why they can't mess with us Kamen Riders!"

"You got it!" Garren said happily before the seven of us collided with them in the middle as Ephraim was just confused what was happening in front of them.

"Do not worry, brother. Everyone had the same experience when we first met them as well…" Eirika consoled, as he looked at her in confusion.

"Really?" Ephraim replied.

"Yes… because…" Eirika said while looking at me. "…I owe him one for saving me many times…" she said to herself, causing Ephraim to be confused by her statement before he paid no mind into it and just watched the whole battle. Larc parried one of the swords from the swordsman as she was able to block it to one side until the sword jammed right in the middle of the Rouzer. At first, the swordsman was toying with her since he didn't see any arrow on it and both of them are now face–to–face as he lets her Rouzer aim at his face… bad move.

"Hah, what are you going to do _now_, strange warrior? You got no arrows to shoot on me!" he mocked her.

"Who says anything about using an arrow?" Larc replied back to him normally before she covers her eyes, much to his confusion before she pulled the trigger onto his head, cleanly passing through his brain as the swordsman dropped dead. "I'm done here!"

Lance clashed his Rouzer onto the swordsman's sword before both of them took a step back and he took out a card from his deck. "I'm gonna swing it all at once!" he declared before he roused a card onto his Rouzer.

**MIGHTY**

And to Ephraim and his knights' surprise, a hologram appears behind him as the Mighty Impact entered into his back before the tip of his Rouzer dripped with black ooze which turned frozen when it touched the ground. He does a quick somersault, letting his lance graze the ground as he left his mark on it before crushing down his lance onto the defending swordsman. Much to his surprise, the lance breaks through his sword and the cut was made onto his body, cleaving his armor in half before the swordsman noticed there was a slight cut on his body and nothing more. "Hah, is that the best you can do?" he tried to intimidate until the cut that was made earlier began to spread throughout his whole body before he turned into a block of ice, shocking them before he delivered a kick onto the sculpture, shattering him into pieces of ice.

"Yosha!" Lance chirped up.

Glaive playfully clashed her Rouzer with the swordsman as she managed to disarm him before she turned around and stabbed him, while facing the front. The swordsman got stabbed on her back before she pulls her Rouzer and delivered a kick onto his chest, leaving him slumped on the ground. "Stage clear~!" Glaive chirped like a happy camper.

Leangle could only defend from the swordsman's attack as he relentlessly attacked her. In the end, she found a perfect opening and she knew there was one thing she can do…

*STOMP!*

"Yeouch!" the swordsman jumped in pain after seeing Leangle jab her hilt of the Rouzer onto his foot, crushing his foot along with his iron boots before she stabbed him through his stomach, opening up the cloves of the Rouzer and cutting any internal organs inside before she pulls it out, leaving the swordsman slump onto the ground, motionless.

"Oh my… did I overdo it?" Leangle asked a bit concerned before she held her hands in prayer while resting her Rouzer onto her side. "May you rest in peace…"

Chalice skillfully swung around his Arrow onto the swordsman as he managed to keep up and eventually overpower him in an instant as he started off by disarming him, followed by cleaving off his armor before stabbing him to his chest, killing him on the spot while he pulls back his Arrow. "Hmph, I have a better chance in a good battle with an Undead, rather than you…" Chalice scoffed before he looks onto Garren.

Garren delivered a kick onto the swordsman after parrying the slash with his Rouzer. The man stumbled back before he fanned out his Rouzer and took out two cards. He immediately roused it in an instant.

**UPPER**

**FIRE**

Two holograms of Upper Frog and Fire Fly and entered into his armor as Garren clutched his right fist tightly as flames began to emit on his hand. He immediately stomped one of the swordsman's feet and delivered a fiery uppercut onto his jaw. With a loud crack heard from the soldier, his whole body flung but due to Garren's foot stepping on his foot, his whole body only flew at the same spot before he released his foot and let the swordsman dropped dead. "Now _that's_ what I call a The Fist of North Star!" Garren added as the flames on his hand dimmed down.

As for me, with the teachings that I've learned from both Garcia and Seth, I was able to apply to my fighting style as I managed to swing around my Rouzer like an axe but at the same time, still using it as a sword as I manage to keep him occupy with my swings. With a trip of my foot, he immediately tumbles down before I jumped on him and delivered a stab onto his head, killing him in an instant. "Next!" I sneered at Tirado.

Tirado can only groan in anger before he held his long lance and shield, walking down towards our direction. "Hmm… My men were unable to finish the job, were they? It falls on me to show you my _own_ special brand of power!" Both Lance and I stood back to back as Lance began to remember something.

"Say, Blade. Do you remember the first double Rider Kick we did in the past on one of those bullies when we first met?" Lance asked me.

"Oh yeah, let's do it." I said smugly. "Minna!" I shouted to the Riders gaining their attention.

"Hm? What is he planning _now_?" Ephraim said to his sister.

"I don't know…" Eirika answered.

"CLIMAX TIME!"

**(Insert BGM: Full Force by RIDER CHIPS)**

"Climax time?" Everyone blinked as some of the riders were happy about hearing what we just said, while Leangle and Larc were just confused.

"Oh boy! I always wanted to do a Climax Time!" Garren said excited before he took out three cards and roused it onto his Rouzer.

**DROP**

**FIRE**

**GEMINI**

"Couldn't ask for a better time than this… even though he's still fresh…" Chalice added as he placed his Rouzer onto his Arrow before he starts rousing three cards as well.

**FLOAT**

**DRILL**

**TORNADO**

"Climax time? Where did I hear that from?" Larc asked herself before she knew what the two meant by that before she roused her card into her Rouzer.

**MIGHTY**

"Hm… if you said so…" Leangle said concerned before she took out three cards and roused it onto her Rouzer.

**RUSH**

**BLIZZARD**

**POISON**

"I don't know what Climax Time is, but if it meant by using this card, I'm all in!" Glaive chirped before she roused the card onto her Glaive Rouzer.

**MIGHTY**

"Should we do the same?" Lance added before he roused his card onto his Rouzer.

**MIGHTY**

"I guess we should." I said confidently before taking out three cards and roused it onto my Blay Rouzer.

**KICK**

**THUNDER**

**MACH**

In an instant, multiple numbers of holograms appeared over our backs, causing not only Ephraim and his knights to be surprised, but also Tirado as well. "There's too _many_ of these things!" Kyle said in shock.

"What kind of a magic _is_ this?" Ephraim questioned surprised as Forde took interest with the cards, especially the pictures on it.

"Looks interesting…" Forde said to himself.

"W–What is the meaning of this?!" Tirado said in shock after seeing so many holograms behind us that haven't entered in just yet.

"Don't you know?" I asked smugly. "It's Climax Time! We're at the pinnacle of this battle and one you're going to lose at! LET HIM HAVE IT!"

"Alrighty!" Glaive and Lance rushed forward with the holograms entering their Rouzers. Larc took aim at her target after her Mighty Ray entered in. She pulled the trigger to unleash a charged up shot onto his shield, causing his shield to leave a hole and damage his armor at the same time before Tirado thrusted his lance onto Glaive, which she easily dodged while cutting the lance in half. This move surprised him as Lance immediately cuts the arm that held his shield and Glaive cuts off the other arm with her electrified sharpened Rouzer before leaving her 'A' mark on his chest armor. The cuts that were made caused the wound to be frozen and burned to the point not letting a single drip of blood be dropped from his arms as he continued to scream in pain. It was then Lance took a huge step back while I started to count after he landed next to me.

"1…" I started as Chalice got into his stance as the three holograms entered his body to initiate his move.

**SPINNING DANCE**

"This ends it all!" Chalice shouted as cyclones of wind engulfed him and started to spin in a rapid manner. He floated high and delivered a drill kick onto his chest, causing a dent on Tirado's armor. It had enough force to push him all the way back to his throne, knocking him out for a moment. Meanwhile, Lance slowly walked towards his direction.

"2…" I continued on as three holograms from Leangle were absorbed into her armor before the move was declared.

**BLIZZARD VENOM**

"Here I go…" Leangle said as she jumped towards the sitting Tirado. He was coming to from his sudden unconsciousness before he was stabbed by her Rouzer on his stomach. She pulled back out and jumped back to our side as the chill spread over the lower part of his body, causing him to be frozen with the throne.

"W–What?! I can't move!" Tirado exclaimed as Lance continue to walk towards him in a calm manner before Garren leaped high into the sky for his next move.

**BURNING DIVIDE**

He did a few somersaults before Ephraim and his two knights were shocked to see another mirage of Garren appear next to him, delivering the drop kick onto Tirado's upper body, causing his armor to shatter away while taking the damage and beating at the same time. As Garren landed perfectly onto his left leg, Lance's pace didn't change one bit as he already walked past the throne where Tirado was seated.

"Did I just see a mirage before he reverted back to one?" Kyle said in shock as he hadn't seen anything just yet.

"3…" I counted as it was my turn to deliver the kick as crackles of lighting were heard before the three cards were absorbed into my armor.

**LIGHTING SONIC**

In an instant, I saw the flames on torches begin to slow down, as well as Lance's pace towards his destination as I leaped high into the sky before I drove my kick onto his exposed chest, causing the throne to skid all the way back to the wall, as it already passed Lance. I landed next to Lance to commence the final move. "RIDER KICK!" Both of us shouted in unison before both of us delivered the roundhouse kick onto his head, connecting it, onto his dented helmet before both of us landed our footing before we slowly raised our hand, pointing to the sky.

"I will walk the path of heaven…" Lance quoted as he wanted me to finish the sentence of the iconic quote from Kamen Rider Kabuto.

"…and rule over all." I finished.

**End BGM**

After the quote, the 'A' on his chest suddenly glowed before his whole body froze up and eventually exploded into red ice, thus ending the battle. Larc once again suddenly had the urge to vomit as she saw red blood from it before getting into the corner.

"Wow, buddy… I think we just did overkill here…" Lance said with a sweat drop.

"Note to self, save the Climax Time for the big bosses." I muttered sweat dropping too.

"I agree with ya…" Lance agreed.

"That was an impressive move you guys did there." Both of us turned around and the rest of the riders looked at Ephraim, happy about it. "I can see why my sister was determined to go help and save me in the first place." He added.

"Brother…" Eirika said in a low tone as he turned around to look at her.

"I worried you, didn't I, Eirika?" Ephraim said with his smile before focusing onto Seth. "And you as well, General?"

"Not at all. We're happy you're safe." Seth said with a normal tone before he got down to business. "But tell me, Prince, do you know of Orson's treachery against you and all of Renais?"

"Yes, though I learned of it all too late, after we'd been trapped at Renvall." Ephraim replied. "Still, I find it difficult to believe that after all of Orson's years in service to Renais…" Ephraim sighed. "I am morally responsible for his plight."

"Ephraim…" Eirika let out softly until we saw a young girl enter the room, indigo hair done in two pigtails walking over to them, a black cloak covering her body.

"What is it, Myrrh?" Ephraim asked, turning to the young lady.

"Something's coming… It's drawing near." Myrrh spoke softly. "Dark… big… and great in number."

"I understand." Ephraim said, nodding before turning to his sister. "It looks like we should get out of here.

"Um, Brother?" Eirika began. "This girl… Her hair is indigo… Where did…"

"Ah, that's a long story." Ephraim said, waving a hand. "For now, we must move. Suffice to say Emperor Vigarde has enlisted some… otherworldly powers."

"Huh? You mean… some power just like ours?" Leangle asked concerned.

"I cannot tell, but one thing I _do_ know is that your powers are pure from my eyes…" Ephraim assured us.

"Then… what should we do for now?" I asked Ephraim.

"For now, we should warn them of the danger…" Ephraim told us before the rest nodded in agreement. Our transformations canceled out to revert back to ourselves as Storm approached Amber.

"C'mon… let's get back to the carriage so you can relax…" Storm said to her which she looked at him before suddenly hugging him to lessen her fear and tremble.

After a while, she set her glare at me annoyed while still hugging Storm for comfort. "I blame you for this, Kurogasa!"

"Hontou ni, sumanai…" I muttered bowing my head in shame.

"C'mon, big bro! It's not your fault anyways!" Akira tried to cheer me up as Storm tried to hold her from hitting me. But then she had an idea. She picked up one of the random dead soldier's greaves and threw it at my head… Hard.

"Iteeeeeeeeeeeeeee!" I cried out in pain while crouching and holding my head in pain.

"That's what you get! A greave to the head!" Amber hissed at me while Storm had another sweat drop of after failing to stop her.

* * *

And so with Ephraim, Forde, Kyle, and the indigo–haired girl Myrrh in tow, we managed to get out of Castle Renvall before more reinforcements arrived. Along the way back to Frelia, I apologized to Amber over and over again, but she didn't want to listen. Heck, I begged! BEGGED for her forgiveness for crying out loud! To the point of me, actually crying in tears! It was humiliating! Eventually, that satisfied her. It was now night time, and we had to camp out. I was in a tent eating my food, still feeling depressed and humiliated. "That's some punishment you received from her, huh?" That startled me as I looked to see Ephraim walking towards the tent I am in, before he sat next to me. "The girl might be harsh, but at least she had a good heart… and not to mention she makes a good meal." He said in a normal way as if he already knew what kind of a person she is, which he was quite oblivious to.

"I… guess." I got out. "So what brings you here?"

"I wanted to thank you." Ephraim said.

"Huh? For what?" I asked.

"For looking after my sister while I could not.' Ephraim answered. "I cannot bare the thought of her harmed, and I wish to protect her. But I can't always _be_ there for her. I can't _always_ protect her. So I thank you for protecting her while I was not around."

"Um… you're welcome." I got out. I wasn't so sure about this. Don't get me wrong, I don't have doubts about him, but to think that I received praise from her brother is just… well, weird. He may be a tough fighter on the battlefield but he still cares for his sister. "But it wasn't just me _alone_. It was also my friends that helped me out as well, and if it wasn't for _them_, we wouldn't make it this far…"

"True… she told me that you're the one that saved her from the beginning of her escape. To think some strangers that appear from another world came into my sister's aide… couldn't get any better than that." He said with a sincere smile before he took another spoonful of curry rice from his plate and fed it to his mouth. "And this… curry… was it? It's really good…"

"Uh, yeah… it really _is_ good…" I replied. Both of us were silent for a bit before he began to speak one more time.

"May I ask you one more thing? Well… it's more like a favor…" Ephraim said.

"What is it?" I asked him.

"Will you continue to protect her when I'm not by her side?" Ephraim said to me, which took me by surprise.

"Really?"

"Yes. It seems like she can really rely on you if there trouble comes toward her. If she can rely on you, why can't _I_?" He told me with an assured smile on his face. Wow… to be honest, I don't know _what_ to say. It was then he suddenly stood up after finishing his meal. "Well, that's all I want to discuss with you. Let's pray for the best, the war will be ended sooner or later so peace will fall on Magvel once again…" He added while looking at me.

"Uh… yeah, I hope so too." I nodded.

* * *

Okay, that's another chapter down. No Undead were seen this chapter and not on the next. But there will be some Undead later on in the story. So be on the lookout for that and as always, review!


	11. Interlude: A New Journey

Hey there people! It's another chapter of Kamen Rider Blade: The Sacred Stones! In the game, we got ourselves a kind of interlude before you choose Eirika's or Ephraim's path. So for this story, we're having a Hot Spring Omake! XD So let's do this!

Disclaimer: Same thing.

* * *

Interlude: A New Journey

It's been a few weeks since we've escaped Castle Renvall and we're now on our way back to Frelia. Right now, we were very close to the town of Serafew. That's good, because it's hot out today… and I mean _really_ hot out. The sun was high in the sky and our food and water were about to run out too. "Ughhhh… soooooo hooooooot." Amber complained while in the caravan fanning herself with her hand. Even inside the _caravans_ were a bit hot.

"I have to agree with you, Amber. Fortunately for me though, I'm already used to this kind of heat from where I _came_ from…" Melissa–sempai said. Come to think of it, Melissa–sempai _was_ from the United States before moving to Japan 10 years ago, since her parents are working in Tokyo. She once told us the weather back in her home was _always_ hot; hence why she was used to it.

"Lucky you, big sis… we can't _handle_ this kind of heat…" Akira added as he kept fanning himself with his hand.

"Yeah, but even so… this kind of weather really reminds me of summer back home…" Storm complained as he loosened up his top button to let the hot air out from his body.

"Serafew is just a few miles away, so I hope you guys can bear it well until we get there." Ephraim assured us.

"I heard Serafew has a hot spring to rejuvenate our health back to the fullest." Eirika told us.

"Eh?!" I asked surprised. "Really?! There's hot springs in this world?!"

"Yes. There is a hot spring here as well. The one that made it possible sure is a genius…" Ephraim said as he crossed his arms and looked down.

"According to Earth's Natural Sources, on page 713," Lute began while turning the page of her book. "It is said that a hot spring is made from the emergence of geothermal heated groundwater from the Earth's crust. It is said to contain many good minerals for your body as well as make your blood circulate better in your system." All of us Riders are happy about that.

"It seems like this hot spring brings many good benefits…" Artur commented.

"I've always wanted to try something like that, since we don't have any of those things in Grado…" Natasha said.

"Oh man! Hot springs! It's something we've missed for quite a while, right, buddy?!" Storm said eagerly as he kept shaking me back and forth

"Yeah, yeah, just stop shaking me! I'm getting dizzy!" I cried out.

"He's really energetic…" Ephraim said with a sweat drop.

"Yes, brother. He's always like that…" Eirika replied with one of her own.

"At least it's something that we can look forward to!" Mikoto said as she joined Storm pointing towards the direction of the city.

"Hot spring, here we come!" Both of them said in unison, as Joshua was surprised from their sudden action.

"Whoa, you two kids really need to calm down…" Joshua replied as he able to keep control of the horses heading its way towards Serafew.

* * *

After what seemed like an hour or two, we've finally reached back to Serafew. As most of us were getting off from the caravan, on the good side, the wind really helped us cool our heat down, but that doesn't help that it's still darn hot when it comes to the weather… "Fuh! I really need to take a bath after waiting in the caravan for so long!" Ross complained as his arms were literally covered in sweat.

As everyone gotten off from the caravan, Kyle walked his horse towards our direction. "For the time being, we should make our stop here and get some supplies before heading back to the castle. I will look around to make sure there aren't any Grado spies following us." Kyle informed.

"Come now, Kyle! Stop being serious all the time for once, you gotta need to get a break, after all…" Forde said nonchalantly.

"Easy for _you_ to say, Forde. I've always taken my knighthood seriously; and I'll continue doing so…" Kyle said as Ephraim told the knights to do what they wanted to do. In the end, Seth and Kyle voluntarily kept an eye out for any signs of trouble, along with Gilliam, Franz and eventually, Forde.

"I–I guess we should take some to rest while the caravan is being filled up for the trip…" Neimi told us.

"Agreed. For the time being, everyone might as well stay at the inn and feel free to do things whatever they want." Moulder advised.

"Do not worry about it, Father Moulder. The villagers will be more than happy to see us again, _especially_ with the appearance of Princess Eirika and Prince Ephraim, since we saved their beloved home." Vanessa told him.

"That's true…" Moulder said.

* * *

After an hour, after we've checked in the inn we're going to stay for the night, everyone went their own separate paths. Joshua and Colm went to a nearby arena to win some more gold coins for a later bet that he has in mind, not to mention to participate in the battle themselves to improve their skills. Lute and Artur went somewhere for the time being. And for the rest of us, we all headed towards the hot spring place where it was famous for the locals as most of them were visiting during their free time, but just for today, it feels like the whole place was reserved just for us…

"Welcome, twins of Renais and their fellow mercenaries. Have you come here to enjoy the hot spring of our humble place?" An old woman in her 50's, which I think is the owner of the place, said in a humble, kind, tone as she was happy to know her place is visited by royalty.

"Yes, we have." Eirika answered.

"Then, please. Enjoy your stay here as much as you want." The owner of the hot spring said as she led us to a place where it separated into two baths. One for the boys and the other one for the girls.

"Man, it's really similar to back in our place…" Storm recalled.

"Yeah, big bro… I can understand that too…" Akira added.

"A hot spring that lets my muscles relax… now _this_ isn't an eyesore to me…" Kurai said with a smile on his face, which was a rare thing to see.

"Man, I can't wait for a jump into the hot bath!" Ross said eagerly.

* * *

_At this time, Artur and Lute were strolling along the countryside near the forest as she began to look at something she stumbled upon earlier. "Hm… I wonder if… Oh, I see…" Lute immersed him her analysis after referring to her book and studying its habit for a moment as Artur took note._

_"What are you doing, Lute?" Artur asked her, making her surprised for a moment._

_"Oh! I was just observing this chemida beetle." Lute told him as she picked up one of them and showed it to him, with Artur letting out a sigh._

_"You haven't changed at all, have you, Lute?"_

_"What do you mean?" Lute blinked._

_"You spent most of your time sequestered in your room, studying your books. On the rare occasion you went outside, you were paralyzed with fascination." Artur further explained as Lute entered her analyzing mode._

_"Of_ course_! There are so many fascinating things to be learned from nature! There are a great many books out there, and I have read most of them, of course. But I've found that what is written can differ greatly from how things truly are. Take this chemida beetle, for example. I've been reading from "The Glossary of Falibrian Entomology" lately. According to the glossary, their wings fall off once they reach maturity. However, I have just found an adult beetle whose wings still work perfectly! Exceptions do exist to the rules, my books outline. This is a rare specimen. I wonder, should we take it back with us?" Lute asked him, causing him to let out another one of his sighs._

_"I hope this isn't another of your pranks." Artur sighed._

_"My… pranks?" Lute asked confused._

_"Do you remember when I loaned you my copy of "Lux Aeterna"? You replaced my bookmark with the tail of a sedgel lizard. You scared ten years off my _life_, I swear it!" Artur exclaimed, but Lute doesn't seem to recall the memory for some reason._

_"_Did_ I do that?" Lute asked tilting her head._

_"And!" Artur continued where he left off. "Knowing full well that I have a… mild… fear of spiders, you caught a small army of them and unleashed them in my room!"_

_"I thought that if I immersed you in the thing you feared, maybe you might be able to overcome your fear entirely!" Lute pouted. "And I went through a lot of trouble trying to catch those spiders!"_

_"…Why would you _do_ that?" Artur asked her concerned._

_"Well, I did get a bit of a kick out of the experience myself." Lute pondered before she looked at him. "Why? Did it bother you?"_

_"YES!" Artur exclaimed, causing Lute to jump in surprise before he regained his composure. "Oh, don't worry about it. At least you did it because you cared about me, right?" He asked her, as she could just nod at it. "I'll just accept it as the best gesture of kindness you can manage, Lute." He said as he continued to accompany her around with a new strange feeling inside of him._

* * *

_With Joshua and Colm, they were hitting the arena and boy did they hit the jackpot. Every fight they've been in, they've won and they've been getting a _LOT_ of gold coins as of late. Normally, Joshua will lose bets and all, but when it comes to fighting, that's a different story._

_"Well, we made a lot of money for today, huh?" Joshua said as he was impressed by how many bags of gold coins they've got._

_"Yeah, and not to mention I've got my hands on it as well." Colm added as he took out some of the gold coins in a bag under his cape. "And you got some skills…"_

_"It all comes with experience, I suppose." Joshua shrugged. "Hopefully, this will be enough traveling money for the rest of the way back to Frelia if we need something along the way."_

_"Yeah… and I can't believe my pickpocketing skills are as sharp as always…" Colm said impressed with himself before he puts all of his effort's collection into his pocket. "I guess we should call it a day too… I have my share of fun already…" Colm perked up before he started dashing towards the inn to make sure the ones that he had pickpocketed won't be able to chase after him later on._

* * *

_While the rest of the knights were guarding around the area, Seth saw Franz do a little bit of a training with his lance as Franz noticed him watching his practice. "General!" Franz called out._

_"Ah, Franz." Seth said with an assured tone. "Every time I see you, you're getting better and better. Your parry is a little stiff, but you are clearly improving." he praised him, which clearly made Franz a bit concerned._

_"Are you serious? Do you really think so, sir?" Franz asked for his opinion._

_Due to Franz's curiosity, Seth couldn't help it but to raise a question onto his subordinate. "…Why is it that, when I compliment you, you always ask me that?"_

_Franz was surprised by the sudden question as he suddenly apologized to him. "Oh, so sorry… I appreciate your praise, sir." Franz said before he started to explain to him, "I mean, you're General Seth, the Silver Knight. You're my hero."_

_That comment made Seth laughs a little bit while looking at the young cavalier. "No more flattery, Franz. Please." he replied back with a smile, before Franz denied it._

_"But, General, it's true! Do you remember when Grado's forces overran Castle Renais?" Franz recalled, causing Seth to nod about it. "Despite grave injuries, you out–charged the enemy, broke their lines, and escaped. And then, you delivered the princess, on your own, to Frelia safety." Franz said amazed by that fact as he continued to admire him. "If I were you, I doubt I could have survived such a challenge… You are the only person I know who can make impossible feats possible." he praised once again._

_Seth lets out another chuckle of his own before he replied back to him. "What pressure you put on me! How can I possibly fail now? You would lose all faith in me!" he complimented before he gets to the point. "Ah, but, Franz, you're still young. You will grow into a remarkable warrior, I have no doubt. Be confident. I'm counting on you. Train your mind and hone your skills." he advised to the young cavalier, which makes him happy._

_"Really? Do you really think so, General?" Franz asked him, which Seth's only reply was a pat onto his shoulder._

_"…Franz …That's enough." Seth told him._

_"Oh, right! Sorry, sir!" Franz said a bit frantic, causing Seth to only shake his head._

_"Come now, we should continue our guarding for the time being." he advised him, as Franz nods happily._

_"Yes, General! And remember, I've got your back!" he chirped up as the two continue to scout. Unknown to both of them, another monster lurked around the bushes as it slowly went into the city, disguised as a human being._

* * *

"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh…" I sighed in content as I sat down in the hot springs sinking into the water until I stopped to just my neck. "This is _definitely_ what I need…"

"Yeah, buddy… _now_ it feels like home…" Storm replied as he sunk his whole body up to his neck before he rinsed his towel and placed it onto his head.

"We _really_ earned this kind of rest, didn't we, big bro?" Akira asked after he did the same thing as well.

"Yep." Kurai simply replied as he was just resting in the middle of it.

"All of our weapons have been stored at a good place. It should be good enough for us to assure our weapon won't be stolen…" Ross told them as Garcia took a dip near the heat source of the water comes out.

"Ah, these old bones really need to relax after all of the hardship we went through…" Garcia lets out a sigh of relief after taking a dip in as everyone seemed to be in a relaxing mood right now.

"No bandits, no Undead to face… this is all what we needed, right, buddy?" Storm replied to me.

"Yep… all we need." I sighed.

"Too bad not everyone can join in at the same time… some would like to take later, while only a few can't take the heat…" Ephraim said to us as we can hear some of the girls chatting next to us.

"Man, this place really reminds me on one of our school trips, buddy. Remember the time where some of our classmates tried to peep on the girls next door, only to get caught in an instant?" Storm recalled.

"Ugh… don't even _remind_ me… I had to beat the guys to a pulp, just to get them to _stop_ so the _girls_ don't have to come to our side of the hot spring to beat them up." I groaned.

"Not to mention most of them were in towels at the time…" Storm remembered.

"Wow… your world sure can be weird at times… even during these kinds of things…" Ephraim said with a sweat drop.

"Believe me, big bro… things are not always as what we'd expect." Akira assured him.

"But one thing I _do_ know is that this place is safe ever since we took down those bandits _and_ one of the knights of Grado from their grasp!" Ross reminded them.

"You are correct, son. That's why we earned this relaxation…" Garcia said before two more figures entered the hot spring area.

"Hey there. Mind if we join in as well?" We all turned around and Joshua and Colm were also here.

"Be our guest." I said. "What have _you_ two been up to?" I asked.

Both Colm and Joshua looked at each other before a smile appeared on their faces and looked back at us with a simultaneous answer. "We have our way of doing things…"

"I don't think I want to know…" Akira said concerned before he noticed Kurai being silent the whole time. "Big bro, why are you keeping quiet to yourself?"

"It's because I was meditating until you asked me… and it annoys me…" Kurai said glaring at him, causing Akira to step back in an instant.

"S–Sorry…" Akira apologized before he went next to my side.

"Well, that's not nice!" Ross shouted at him.

"If you can't take the heat, then get out of the kitchen…" Kurai told him.

"But we're at the hot spring…" Ephraim replied.

"It's just a figure of speech!" he told the prince, causing him to be surprised for a bit.

"Is he… always like that?" Ephraim whispered to me.

"Yeah, don't worry about it." I told him.

* * *

_"This is what I call a miracle!" Mikoto chirped after taking a dip inside the hot spring. Of course, all the girls had their towels on to hide their… well, you know…_

_"Yep, I couldn't agree with you more!" Amber added as the two girls began to chatter happily._

_"My, my… those two have so much energy after getting to this place…" Melissa said in a motherly tone._

_"Yes, I agree with you, Melissa. Although… it may be a bit too hot for me, but I guess I can bear with it so my whole body can adjust to this heat." Natasha replied as Neimi began to close in at the two._

_"I–Is it really okay? J–Just because our bath is next to the boys?" Neimi asked concerned._

_"Do not worry. This bamboo wall is thick enough to not let them see us. That, and since my brother is on the other side, along with Kurogasa, things would be in control…" Eirika assured._

_"You know, Princess… you've been talking a lot about Kurogasa lately…" Vanessa pointed out as Amber and Melissa already knew about their relationship._

_"Yes, it seems like you've put a lot of trust in him as well…" Natasha added, causing the princess to blush slightly._

_"Eh, really?!" Mikoto asked getting the gist of it as she approached the small, followed by Amber._

_"Oh yes, that's all she ever talks about." Amber teased._

_"Amber!" Eirika shouted, blushing even more._

_"Now, now, Amber. That's not very nice…" Melissa told her, as Amber kept quiet._

_"Sorry…" Amber apologized._

_"It's okay to share the tale to the others. It's just between us." Melissa consoled Eirika._

_But before Eirika could tell them, all of the sudden, an explosion occurred, causing the barrier between the two sides to be destroyed into pieces as they saw a figure that consists of a fox head with sharp fangs, a long spike on his right shoulder as it wore a black leather suit, wielding a sword on its hand, with a short dagger on the other. It also had sharp horns on its head that it used to detect Riders, even from miles away. This is one of the trials that haven't been seen before… Trial A; It is a scouting Undead that is used to find and eliminate all of the Riders._

_"I sense… Riders!" the Undead shouted angrily._

* * *

"This is bad! An Undead?!" Colm said in shock as Ephraim was surprised to see something that he hasn't seen such a thing before.

"What _is_ that thing?!" Ephraim demanded.

"Crap… it's a Trial Undead!" I gritted.

"A what?!" Ephraim asked, still confused.

"A Trial Undead is different from the rest of the Undead. This one specifically hunts down us Riders!" Storm recalled before the Trial Undead was suddenly lanced off by Kyle as he spotted the Undead and tried to push it away to a wider place. And before we took action, we noticed the barrier between two sides of bath has been destroyed and well… uh…

"Kyaaaaaaaaa!"

Yeah… that pretty much sums up everything as most of the girls submerged their whole body down while covering themselves with their towels. "My, my… it seems like you boys need a little bit of a lesson…" Melissa–sempai replied with a smile and for some reason, behind that smile, an aura of darkness seemed to seep out from her body as she also covered her body with her towel… _Now_ I know how Kurai actually feels when I witnessed it firsthand.

"Kurogasa, you idiot!" Amber shouted while throwing a bar of soap at me as the other girls started to join in, throw their soaps and anything they could get their hands on to throw at us, and most of us boys took most of the damage.

"Ow! Ow! It was just an accident!" Colm defended himself.

"Blame that thing for destroying it in the first place!" Ross added as Garcia seemed to be taking a nap with a towel covering his face, now noticing that just now the Trial Undead tried to attack us. No _wonder_ most of the stuff were aimed at _us_ after seeing Garcia still asleep.

"Let's just get our gear!" I said desperately covering my eyes and getting out of there while trying my very best not to look at the girls, especially at Eirika. Sure, I tripped a few times but nonetheless got out of there.

"Darn it, of all things, _why_ did it has to be at _this_ time?!" Kurai said annoyed before all of the boys could only get into our shirts and pants on before dashing out from the hot spring area, entering the fray where the battle is held.

* * *

As Gilliam and Kyle tried to attack the Trial with their lances, it simply parried off with its sense and speed as it was able to predict which one would strike first before Forde appeared from out of nowhere and gave it a slash of its own. Before they knew it, the Trial Undead stumbled down before calling in its own swarm of DarkRoaches. "What _is_ this?!" Kyle asked.

"No matter what, when you destroy these creatures, do _not_ inhale the green gas, as it is dangerous!" Gilliam warned the two as the rest of us boys began to run at their direction.

"What are _those_ things?!" Ephraim asked shocked to see a swarm of DarkRoaches trying to overwhelm them.

"DarkRoaches! Minions of the Undead!" I said as us Rider boys got out our buckles and slipped our cards in as we continued to run.

"Henshin!"

**TURN/OPEN UP**

**CHANGE**

Four holograms of our Category Ace appeared right in front of us as we continue to dash forward until the four of us were now donned in our armors before taking them out one by one. "Ah, Prince Ephraim! Stay back! This is a dangerous creature as their gases can kill you!" Kyle informed the prince as he managed to pierce through another one of the DarkRoaches before an explosion occurred and he immediately stepped back.

"Yeah, not to mention these guys are ugly!" Forde teased before he kicks one of them away before it exploded and it emitted the green gas.

"I suggest you covered up your face since normal humans can't handle this kind of gas… only those donned this kind of armor can actually survive…" Chalice told Ephraim before he dashed forward and Ephraim followed what he was instructed by using his cape and covered his face with it before he joined in the fray.

"Garren, let's go into Jack Form! You and me!" I said.

"Ah! Right!" Garren replied back as the both of us took out our Rouze Absorbers and slotted it onto our wrist. While Lance and Chalice tried to help the rest of them, both of us took out our Absorb Queen cards, Absorb Capricorn and Serpent respectively and inserted it onto our Rouzer Absorber.

**ABSORB QUEEN**

After hearing the pulses on it, we immediately took out our Fusion Jacks, Fusion Eagle and Peacock respectively and roused it onto our Rouzer Absorber.

**FUSION JACK**

In an instant, two plates of the Fusion Eagle and Peacock covered our Absorb Queens, the plate of the Fusion Peacock having a gold diamond with the peacock in it surrounded by green that filled the rest of the plate, in a gold color before it hit us as both of us received an upgrade. After I assumed my Jack Form, I looked at Garren as he also has been upgraded as well. The upgrades that he received was a golden plate armor on his chest as his suit of diamond on his chest armor with the Fusion Peacock on it and on his shoulder pads were now covered in gold. His wings were similar to that of a peacock's tail and most surprisingly, his Rouzer is now equipped with a small blade, allowing him to attack at close range. "Sugei~!" Garren said, amazed to see himself in his new transformation. "I wonder if I'm able to transform into King Form since Tachibana never changed into one." Garren pondered.

"You don't have the Evolution Giraffa yet, kid, but for now, let's take that Trial Undead to the skies!"

"Yosha~~!" Garren chirped happily before both of our wings spread and flew towards the Trial Undead that was busy scouting our power level before we took it to the sky. It was quite a trip as eventually it spreads out a pair of moth–like wings before it started to flutter on its own before pushing us back with his sword and dagger in hand.

"Eliminate… RIDERS!" the Trial growled in anger before it made a mad dash towards me.

"Big bro!" Garren shouted as he flew towards my direction.

With that, both of our blades collided as sparks were made in the middle. While trying to defend the attack from my Rouzer with its sword, it tried to stab me or even scratch me with its dagger, but due to the interference of Garren with his newly equipped short dagger that was mounted at the front of the gun, in the end, it had to defend itself before it flutters it moth wings strongly, creating a gust of wind to push us back, making a quick dive and slashed us at the middle.

"Geez, this one is a tricky one…" Garren complained as the Trial began to turn around and glared at us, waiting for the next move to be made.

"No kidding…" I agreed. "Alright then, see how you like this!" I said rousing two cards.

**SLASH**

**THUNDER**

Two holograms of Slash Lizard and Thunder Deer appeared behind me as it slowly absorbed onto my Rouzer to initiate my signature weapon attack.

**LIGHTNING SLASH**

With that declaration, both Garren and I began to dash forward as it prepared its stance to defend itself and tried to go for a counterattack with its dagger in hand. In an instant, both of our weapons clashed in the middle, cutting away its sword in half before continuing to dash forward to cut one of its moth wings. Garren does the same on the other side. While it was distracted for a moment, he managed to cut another one of its wing, causing it to fall towards the earth. "Big bro, even if it crashes onto the ground, there's still a chance it will survive the crash!" Garren warned me.

"Well then, time for me to drop it on him then! But first…" I said rousing one card on my Rouzer.

**FUSION**

A hologram of the Fusion Eagle appeared and went into the Rouzer restoring my AP. "That's better, and now to finish it."

**KICK**

**THUNDER**

**MACH**

"What the– Are you serious big bro?! That's dangerous!" Garren cried out as the three holograms of Kick Locust, Thunder Deer, and Mach Jaguar entered by body before announcing the move.

**LIGHTNING SONIC**

"Better than nothing Akira!" I shouted as I dove down fast like a peregrine falcon would. Garren thought about it for a moment before he decided to do the same thing. He fanned out while diving down to follow suit before he roused two cards onto his Rouzer to initiate it.

**DROP**

**FIRE**

Two holograms of Drop Whale and Fire Fly appeared right in front of him as he passed through the holograms before the move has been declared.

**BURNING SMASH**

"Haaa!" Both of us cried out as we dashed down as both of our kicks connected onto the Trial as we continued to dash down.

* * *

Meanwhile, at the ground, the rest of our group were pushing them aside with the knights now protecting the citizens from the DarkRoaches trying to kill them, both Lance and Chalice are now back–to–back, being surrounded by the DarkRoaches as Ephraim joins in as well. "This isn't good/ does this happens all the time?" Ephraim asked Lance.

"Most of the time…" Lance told him with a sweat drop.

"Tch… with the knights guarding the people, we're the only ones that are strong enough to push them back…" Chalice muttered while looking around.

"Any ideas how to get out from this situation?" Lance asked him as Chalice saw both Garren and I dive our kicks down to where they are standing.

"I can think of _one_ thing…" Chalice said as he took out a card from his side deck and roused it onto his Rouzer on the Arrow.

**FLOAT**

"Eh?" Lance asked surprised for before Chalice immediately grabbed Lance and Ephraim's wrist and floats to the side before a crash was heard on the spot. A small shockwave spread around the area, causing a crater to be made at the center and at that point, all of the DarkRoaches were destroyed as the Trial was at the middle of the crater, consumed in flames and electricity as both of us slowly raised ourselves up from the impact , me feeling wobbly.

"Wow! What a rush!" Garren chirped happily as I can still feel the jolt of pain rushing to my kicking leg.

"Note to self, _always_ estimate the height before diving down for the kick…" I muttered to myself as the rest of the boys joined up and Seth and Franz just arriving to see what happened.

"What happened here?" Seth asked.

"I crashed the Undead and killed it… not to mention… it made me dizzy…" I said before I wobbled and fell unconscious.

* * *

Ugh… what happened? Oh yeah, now I remember… earlier today, when we enjoyed our relaxation in the hot spring, all of the sudden, a Trial Undead destroyed the hot spring wall and I ended up getting hit by a few bars of soap being thrown at us. And after that, we chased after that thing as we brought it up to the sky, slashing and dashing before we finished it off with double dive kick on it and at the end of it, I ended up unconscious… I soon woke up and was in a room. "What the– What happened?" I asked as I slowly got up.

"Kurogasa, you're awake!" Eirika said, happy to see me awake as I slowly pushed myself up.

"Ow… what happened?" I groaned while rubbing my head.

"You were unconscious after the fight and my brother and Storm brought you to your room…" Eirika explained.

"Why do my cheeks sting?" I asked her.

"Um…" Eirika got out. She was silent before she managed to mutter out one sentence from her mouth. "Amber slapped your cheeks a few times…"

"Huh? What for?" I asked confused.

"About… seeing us only in our towels…" Eirika said in a blushing state and she continued on. "And because of that, she told me to tell you that you're going to get your 'special' treatment… I don't know what that means…"

I shuddered at that. I knew what that meant. "You don't want to know…" At that point, the door flung open making the both of us jump. It was Amber. She had her head down and she was smiling evilly, and I think one of her eyes twinkled.

"Kurogasaaaaaaaaaa… it's time for that 'special' treatment…" Amber said darkly.

Oh no…

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

* * *

"Ite te, te, te, te, ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh… I needed this…" I sighed in relief. After getting the 'special' treatment courtesy of Amber, I wobbled myself back to the hot spring. Thankfully, no one was in the hot spring area. I needed to relax off the pain.

"Kurogasa, are you alright?" A female voice asked as I immediately leaned against the remains of the barrier to make sure that I don't get another again.

"Eirika, is that you?" I asked as I heard a splash as she entered into the hot spring and leaned against the remaining barrier as well.

"Yes, it's me…" Eirika replied. "Um… about… the 'special' treatment… are you still hurt on your… um, bottom?"

"I'm… okay… still hurts though…" I said.

"I've never seen her so… vicious before… much more than a beast…" Eirika stuttered as I tried my best to forget that kind of experience.

"If it wasn't for Storm entering the room after hearing my scream of pain, she would go relentless on me… and I would be in the worst shape yet…" I cringed in pain.

"I see…" Eirika said as the whole hot spring was quiet, only to be accompanied by the sound of water flowing from a miniature handmade waterfall. "Um… you didn't… see me earlier today… right?" Eirika asked breaking the silence once again.

"No!" I answered rather too quickly.

I heard her let out a sigh of relief behind the barrier before she continued on. "I'm glad…"

"Say, what happened to the rest of the girls that were…'involved' in this mess?" I asked her.

"Well, other than Melissa, most of the girls were quite embarrassed and Garcia didn't know what happened at that time since he fallen asleep…" Eirika answered.

"Why wasn't Melissa–sempai affected by it?" I asked.

"It's because most of the boys who were involved didn't want their toes to be crushed, especially Kurai. He said that behind her smile, a sinister aura seeps out from her…" Eirika added.

I shuddered at that too. Now I know how Kurai feels. "I… see…" I got out.

The hot spring was silent again as we didn't speak much after 30 minutes of rinsing ourselves in the hot spring. "I'm glad…"

"Huh?"

"I'm glad I've met my brother again… so thank you… Kurogasa…" Eirika said. It was then I heard another splash signaling that Eirika was getting out of the hot spring and I heard footsteps about to walk away until… "Whoa!" she cried out and I saw the remaining barrier coming down towards me! She must've slipped and fell on the barrier! Oh crap!

*CRASH!*

As the barrier came crashing down on me, Eirika quickly recovered from her slip earlier and realized I was pinned under the bamboo barrier. Fear of me being drowned under hot water, she immediately pushed it away and tried to wake me up from my faint. "Kurogasa! Kurogasa, are you okay?!" Eirika asked a bit panicked before I slowly opened up my eyes from my faint and seeing Eirika worried about me.

"Ow… I'm okay…" I groaned, but then when I fully opened my eyes, I blushed madly seeing Eirika in nothing but her towel, which clung to her in very interesting ways, I could see her cleavage, and it looked like the towel was about to fall off!

Realizing what's wrong, she also noticed that I'm in nothing but my towel to cover the lower part of my body. She quickly turned around, as her face flushed red. "U–Uh, please excuse me!" Eirika stuttered before she quickly ran towards the other side of the wall and ran towards her changing room. Man, I was stunned. I'm trying to get a grip, not to mention I've seen her curves– wait, what am I _thinking_?! Did I have a bad thought just now?! Bad thoughts! Bad thoughts! Get away bad thoughts! Calm down, Kurogasa! Just calm down… all I need to do is take another few minutes soaking myself in the water and maybe the experience would go away…

* * *

After a while… it didn't go away… I walked out from the hot spring and I saw Storm who saw me flushed. "Did something happen? Your face is red as a tomato…" Storm said concerned.

"Um…" I got out.

"What is it? C'mon, you can tell me. I can keep secrets remember?" Storm asked.

I looked around to my left then to my right. "Never tell this to anyone. _Especially_ Amber."

"Promise. So, what is it?" Storm asked.

I took a deep breath before telling him what happened. "…I, um– I saw Eirika… in nothing but her towel… only…" I finally got out. Silence surrounded us for a moment.

"If you're talking about the one from earlier today, I guess you can say I've accidentally saw them too…"

He misunderstood my situation. "No, no, no, no, no. Not from earlier, just now." I told him. "And I… saw her…" I looked to my left and right and whispered what I saw in his ears. His eyes widened at what I told him.

"…okay… wow… just… wow, buddy…" Storm blinked as he also felt awkward like me. "This never happened to me and Amber before… for sure…" He added.

"That's why I'm telling you to please keep this quiet for me, especially Amber! I don't wanna be given the 'special' treatment again…" I practically whined, which Storm let out a smile on his face.

"Oh, don't worry about that. Your secret is safe with me, buddy." Storm assured me.

* * *

_"Ohhh, I can't believe this…" Eirika said still flushing red. _'I… I know Kurogasa didn't mean anything, but still…!'

_"What is it Eirika? Did something happen just now?" Amber asked as she combed her hair down. Eirika could only keep quiet, which made Amber curious until she remembered something. "Did Kurogasa do something to you again?! If he did, I'll be giving him his 'special' treatment again!" she said as she held her broom nearby for her treatment on him, which made Eirika wave it off in an instant._

_"N–No! It's not that… it's just…" Eirika stuttered, as Amber waited for her answer._

_"Well? What happened?" Amber pried._

_"Um…" Eirika got out. "Promise you won't tell anyone and hurt Kurogasa?"_

_"So, it _DOES_ involve him!" Amber said annoyed while her fist started to shake angrily before Eirika began to plead._

_"Please? Promise me, Amber? You're my friend and there are times you've helped me out…" Eirika said as she was about get teary, which made Amber instantly stop._

_"Alright… you win. I won't hurt him…" Amber sighed before she calmed herself down and looked at her with her neutral look. "So, what happened?"_

_"Well, I was talking with Kurogasa in the hot springs, well, with what remained of the barrier up of course. I was getting out until I slipped and fell on the barrier and crushing Kurogasa. Then when I got the barrier off of him, he… he…"_

_"He… what?" Amber asked. Eirika was having a hard time trying to explain it._

_"He… saw my cleavage…" Eirika let out with a blush. Amber also got one of her own._

_"If it wasn't for our promise, I would've killed him on the spot…" Amber pointed out. _

_"I suppose it's _my _fault for letting it happen. He was really embarrassed." Eirika said._

_"No it's not. You just slipped. That was a complete accident." Amber waved off. "Still, I guess he's just growing up… _way_ too fast… even my _boyfriend_ didn't go that far… at least… not until… we're…" She stopped there. Amber tried to finish her words but it seemed like it's _her_ turn to stutter before she lets out a groan and entered her bed in an instant, covering her whole body under a blanket. "J–Just forget what I said just now and go to sleep or something!"_

_"Huh?" Eirika asked confused._

_"I said just go to sleep already!" Amber shouted under the blanket. Eirika decided to go out on a walk to calm herself down._

* * *

_Eirika was in front of the fountain as she was looking at the sky filled with stars. She was able to find peace in her as her blush finally wore off from her face. When she found her peace, she began to remember something about the past. Her brother Ephraim soon approached her. "Is something bothering you, Eirika?" Ephraim asked as he sat next to her._

_"I was thinking about Lyon." Eirika recalled. "The last time we saw him was a year and a half ago…"_

_"You're right." Ephraim replied. "It was at Grado Keep. …Has it _really_ been only a year and a half?"_

* * *

**Flashback – 1½ Years ago**

"Ephraim! Lyon!" Eirika cried out looking about. "Where are you two?"

"We're over here, Eirika." She heard Lyon call back. "You'd better be quick. Ephraim says he's tired of waiting."

"Oh, please. I'm sure you could wait a _few_ moments longer…" She said before running off down the street.

"You're late." Ephraim said with his arms crossed. "How long does it take you to prepare for such a simple trip?"

"Rest easy, Ephraim." A youth with hair resembling silver mixed with purple. "There's no need to be so curt with your own sister. After all, a king must learn to treat women with honor and discretion. That's what Father MacGregor says."

"Thank you, Lyon." Eirika replied with a smile. "You, unlike my brother, are a _true_ gentleman." She giggled before regaining her composure. "I was up far too late thinking about my prayer to the temple flame last night. And I'm afraid I… I overslept…"

"Your prayer?" Ephraim asked scratching his head. "What are you babbling about?"

"Come now, you know that flame has been burning since the time of darkness ended." Lyon chided gently. "You must know the story that the flame will answer the prayers of any pilgrim!"

"Really? I didn't know that…" Ephraim replied.

"Oh, Ephraim…" Eirika sighed. "Father MacGregor is going to scold you for neglecting your studies so."

"…Don't even joke about that." Ephraim scoffed. "So tell us, what have you decided to pray for, Eirika?"

"I, uh…" She began. "It's a secret."

"I should've known." Ephraim sighed. "You're _so_ boring."

"Well, how about _you_, Ephraim?" Lyon asked with a smile on his face.

"Me? Let's see…" Ephraim began, looking up in thought. "I guess I'll pray to become a stronger fighter."

"That's just like you, Ephraim." Lyon sighed with a shake of his head.

"Just like you indeed, Brother." Eirika agreed with her own shake of the head.

"…I can never tell if you're complimenting me or mocking me." Ephraim complained.

"Praising you, of course!" Lyon replied quickly waving it off. "Right, Eirika?"

"Hee hee… Yes, that's right." The princess added with another giggle.

"And you, Lyon?" Ephraim began. "What will you pray for?"

"What? Me?" Lyon asked, pointing to himself "Hm… I suppose all I really want is for all our people to be happy."

"…That's very, uh…" Ephraim began. "That's very much like you."

"Very much so, Lyon." Eirika agreed with a smile.

"…Now, _I'm_ the one who cannot tell if I'm being praised…" Lyon grumbled.

"You're being praised, as always, Lyon." Ephraim grinned.

"Tell me, why the sudden decision to visit the temple?" Eirika asked. "Did my brother do something again?"

"Now listen, you…" Ephraim began before Lyon chuckled.

"Oh no. It's not what Ephraim's done. It's what he _hasn't_ done. He's learned nothing at all about the Sacred Stone and the temple flame, so…"

"Father MacGregor became angry." Ephraim finished for him. "He said, 'One destined to become king and rule over a nation must know the history of his kingdom and must respect the Sacred Stones.' Ever since I came to Grado, my life has been chastisement and castigation." He complained. "Father MacGregor does not think of me to be altogether too… kingly."

"And yet General Duessel has nothing but _praise_ for you, Ephraim." Lyon added. "He says you're brave and true, that you've the makings of a great king."

"A great king?" Ephraim parroted. "I honestly have no idea what that means. _Eirika_ should succeed the throne. I would be happy simply taking my lance and traveling the land as a mercenary."

"Ephraim! That is nothing but foolish, irresponsible romanticism!" Eirika cried out. "Do you realize how much your words would fill Father's heart with grief?"

"Are we speaking of the same man?" Ephraim said with a short laugh. "Our father will likely outlive us _all_. For now, I'm content with just learning the lance from General Duessel. What about you, Lyon? Is there anything _you_ want to do?"

"Me? Well, I…" The Grado prince began. "I suppose I want to become like my father."

"You were _born_ to be the Emperor of Grado, Lyon." Eirika smiled. "It suits you."

"No, I don't think so." Lyon replied, shaking his head. "I'm not– One thing I _do_ know from watching my father is that being emperor is hard. Every day, he answers the complaints of the people, and he almost never sleeps… My father is always so very tired. I hope one day that… I hope that I can help him."

"Lyon… You are so honorable." Eirika said, beaming gently. "You should _learn_ from him, Brother."

"…Again with your criticism!" Ephraim cried out. "Tell me, Eirika. What say you to dressing like _me_ and becoming king in _my_ stead? You're so skinny I doubt _anyone_ would notice you're not really a man."

"Ha ha ha…" Lyon let out, trying to cover his mouth with a hand.

"Ephraim!" Eirika cried out, stomping her foot to the ground.

**End Flashback**

* * *

_After the twins had their laugh together in remembering their memory lanes, she began to ponder, regarding Lyon. "What do you suppose Lyon is doing now?" she asked herself as more questions began to come out from her mouth. "When Emperor Vigarde ordered the invasion… How do you think Lyon felt?" she asked while looking at her twin brother._

_"He's always been so gentle, but he worships his father. He never questions him." Ephraim tried to remember the characteristics of their friend until when it came to his father. "But the emperor… He's clearly not behaving rationally. I just hope he's not so far gone that he'd hurt his own flesh and blood." At that point, Eirika got close to her brother and leaned over his shoulder._

_"I just pray for the day when the three of us can be together once again." Eirika prayed for the best as Ephraim wrapped an arm around her shoulders leaning his head on hers, while looking up in the sky._

_"It'll come. I've no doubt…"_

* * *

_The next day, as Melissa wore her headdress for returning back to Frelia, which was planned by Ephraim, she saw Natasha sitting on her bed, looking down for a moment as she approaches to her. "Is something bothering you, Natasha?"_

_Her sudden question startled Natasha startled, as she looked at Melissa's concerned look on her face. "Oh, Melissa… it's nothing…"_

_"You can tell me. We are like sisters ever since we've met each other. If there's something you want to share with me, I'll be glad to lend an ear to hear your problems…" Melissa said motherly tone before Natasha suddenly hugged her, surprising Melissa._

_"Oh, Melissa… I don't know what's wrong with me! Ever since Joshua saved me and both of us began to go on a trip together, my mind is going blank. I couldn't concentrate on my healing spells and my chest hurts when I think about it! What's even worse is he's placing a bet that I'd fall for him and he witnessed something that was a sin yesterday! I don't know what to do!" Natasha cried for a bit as Melissa understood what she was talking about._

_"Natasha… that is love." Melissa said in a kind tone, as Natasha looked at her as tears still flows out from her eyes._

_"Love?"_

_"Yes, that is love. You are experiencing it. I know because everyone goes through that lane. It's the most beautiful thing that's happening to you!" Natasha could only look down for a moment._

_"But… I–" Natasha tried to explain, but Melissa puts her forefinger on her lips._

"_I know you're a cleric and as such, a religious person, just like me. You've given your life over to a divine calling. But would the Everlasting not smile upon the love shared by its creations?" she asked her as Natasha thought about it while Melissa wipes off her tears. "It is up to you to decide your path… remember that, Natasha." she said with a smile on her face as Natasha finally calmed down and hugged her friend tightly._

_"I will decide it… thank you, my dear friend…" Natasha said as Melissa hugs her back._

* * *

And so, after helping the owner repair the bamboo barrier to its former glory and resupplying our caravan with food and water, we left Serafew and went on our way back to Frelia. However, during the rest of the few weeks back to Frelia, Eirika and I haven't talked to each other. Don't get me wrong, it's not like I don't _want_ to talk to her, but… I just don't know what to say to her, not after what happened at the hot springs. "That's strange… my sister doesn't seem to talk to him like she usually does when we first headed towards Serafew…" Ephraim said concerned.

"Well, I know those two have their reasons…" Storm added.

"Yeah, I know… I can understand what you're saying, Storm…" Amber replied back to him.

"Did big bro get himself in a fight with Eirika?" Akira asked Mikoto who was ignoring him.

"Why don't you ask him yourself?" Mikoto scoffed. After what happened last time, she wasn't talking to him, leaving Akira to sweat drop.

"I wonder what happened between the two of them." Ephraim wondered.

"Believe me; you don't want to know…" Storm and Amber said in unison, leaving Ephraim even more confused as I took a glance at Eirika but once she noticed me, she immediately looked away. I guess she's still feeling embarrassed about it… who _doesn't_ if someone that you like sees you with barely any clothes on? In the meantime, Akira looked upon the Trial A Undead that was sealed in a Common Blank.

"I wonder if this card may be useful for big bro?" Akira muttered to himself as our journey continued on.

* * *

Eventually, we have reached back to Castle Frelia as we decided to regroup here in order to inform the king. "Ah, we've finally back to Frelia…" Moulder said happy to reach back to the place where he served for his king.

"Yes, after these couple of months, it's good to be finally back home." Vanessa said. As us Riders got out of the caravan…

"Kurogasaaaaaaaaaa!"

"OOF!"

Tana tackled me to the ground with a hug. "Ugh, hi… Tana…" I got out. "Good to see you again."

"Oh, I've missed you so much! You have _no_ idea how boring this place was without you and your shiny armor!" Tana said as she rubbed her face onto my chest, making me flushed from her bold action on me.

"Princess! Please mind your manners around here!" Vanessa scolded a bit, as she kept sticking on me like glue.

"Wow, seems like we got ourselves a little competition that's gonna happen soon…" Mikoto said while looking at us, causing Eirika to be flustered.

"T–Tana! P–Please, get off from him!" Eirika said surprised by her sudden action.

"Ha ha… active as always, huh, Tana?" Ephraim praised her, making Tana look up and saw Ephraim before she let go and hugs both of the twins simultaneously.

"Ephraim! Eirika! Welcome!" Tana cried out before the twins hugged her before letting them go. "The two of you returning together, it's like a dream come true!"

"Of course! We _did_ promise that we'll return back here safely with my brother." Eirika told her friend.

"You must know, I've prayed every day for your safe return." Tana said in a happy tone.

"I wonder if she is talking about the twins or him." Colm pondered.

"Who knows?" Forde shrugged.

"I'm sorry, Tana." Ephraim said, shaking his head. "I didn't want for you to worry."

"Oh, it doesn't matter now… All that _really_ matters is that we've been brought together again." Tana said happily tone looking at me with her cheeky smile.

"Yeah, and not to mention we brought along new riders to assist us as well." Ross informed her.

"New riders?" Tana blinked before she got herself a shock. "You mean, there are _more_ than these three?!"

"Yep." I said after getting up from Tana's tackle hug. Just before she could ask who it could be, a soldier walked in the castle and informed something to the princess.

"Princess Tana! Prince Innes has returned from the front!" the soldier informed her, causing her to sulk for a bit.

"Geez, what unexpected timing! I was just about to know who the new riders are!" Tana pouted as she crossed her arms.

"Don't worry, you'll know soon enough, Your Highness." Gilliam informed her and soon enough, a young man with warm grey hair like King Hayden's, wearing a sky blue trench coat and white shirt underneath with brown pants and boots with a bow behind him, entered the castle as most of the soldiers bowed to the prince, with Lute only raising her eyebrow as she continued to read her book.

"Welcome home, dear brother. I'm so happy to see you return safe and sound!" Tana chirped up when her brother entered in while she stayed close to me, much to Eirika's chagrin, as Storm, Amber and Melissa couldn't help it laugh a little.

"You didn't expect less, did you?" Innes replied with a scoff. "Do you think Grado's slugs could touch me? With my bow, I'll take down every Grado soldier from here to the emperor's palace!" He then turned to me. "And _you're_ supposed to be?"

"Um, I'm just one of Eirika's escorts, along with my friends. My name is Kurogasa. It's nice to meet you." I replied as Tana suddenly hugged my arm happily.

"Yeah! He and his friends are one–of–a–kind warriors that we don't see every day!" Tana said.

"One–of–a–kind?" Innes asked a bit confused by that term.

"Yes, they are one–of–a–kind, Innes. I have witnessed it myself." Ephraim replied to him as Innes shifted his focus onto him.

"…Ephraim." Innes said sternly. Something tells me that both of them are rivals or something, judging by his tone.

"It's good to see you, Prince Innes." Eirika said to him, which he looked at her, with a nod before turning back to Ephraim with a serious look.

"…They say Renais has fallen. I believe I warned you before. This happened because you provided Grado the opportunity to strike!" He said in a harsh tone to Ephraim.

"Seems like we got ourselves another eyesore…" Kurai muttered to himself while crossing his arms.

*STOMP*

"Iteeeeeeeeeeeeeee!" Kurai cried out in pain.

"Now, now… mind your manners, Kurai." Melissa–sempai warned him with her smile as he could only cringed in pain after being stomped with her Leangle Rouzer.

"Brother! Mind your tongue! This is no occasion for such harsh words. Ephraim and Eirika have lost their father to this terrible war…" Tana scolded her brother, causing him to be silent for a moment.

"I'm sorry to hear of your father's death." Innes said in a softer tone. "Hear me, Ephraim. Our most important task is to defeat Grado and end this war." He said before turning about.

"Oh, Innes…" Tana sighed.

"Wow… what an arrogant guy…" Akira said as he crossed his arms.

"He may look like it, but he's the most brilliant person when it comes to strategic and planning the attacks. He is also good with his bow and arrow." Gilliam informed him.

"He is somewhat like you, Akira. Both of you have brilliant minds and you use long ranged attacks as your specialty, but you have a gentle side, which Prince Innes rarely shows…" Vanessa praised him, causing Akira to rub the back of his head happily.

"Gee, thanks, big sis!" Akira chirped up.

"I'm sorry, Eirika, Ephraim." Tana apologized.

"It's all right." Ephraim waved it off. "It's comforting to see that, in all of this, at least he hasn't changed. Innes has hated me for as long as I can remember." Ephraim sighed.

"My brother looks upon you as a rival, Ephraim." Tana corrected. "He wants to be the best at everything. The best king, the best general, the best fighter, the best man…" Tana listed while counting with her fingers. "He won't allow himself to be beaten at anything."

"Well, eventually… there will be _something_ he won't be best at…" Amber said confidently.

"_Everyone_ has something they good at, young lady…" Garcia informed her.

"Tana, you talk too much!" Innes called out. Tana hid behind me while still holding onto my arm and as I looked at Eirika, she seemed a bit… jealous? From the looks of it, she really _does_ look jealous but couldn't bring herself forward as both of us still can't talk to each other due to that little incident that night… Innes approached us once again as he looked at us with a stern face of his. "…My father would like both of you to sit with him in a war council… along with these… riders. I do not know what he meant by that, but that's what my father calls them. Will you come with me to take part in your official audience?" Innes asked him.

"Yes, of course. There's much that I have to tell him." Ephraim responded.

"It will be out honor to attend." Eirika added.

"Well, Riders… it's our call." I told them as the rest of the riders nodded in agreement.

"Well, as always, we might as well wait for you guys to get back…" Joshua said as he tilted his hat, causing Innes to be confused.

"Riders… What does Father mean by that Tana?" Innes asked while looking at his sister.

"Oh, you'll see." Tana said excitedly. "Guys, how about showing my brother a quick demonstration before you guys go meet with my Father?"

"Uh… well…" I got out.

"Pleeeeeease?" Tana pleaded giving me the puppy eyes. Oh good grief, _now_ I know how Kurai feels when Amber gave _him_ the puppy eyes before he joined us.

"T–Tana! Please! Now isn't the time to do so! Kurogasa and his friends can show him after our discussion with your father!" Eirika told her.

"Ah, she's right, Tana! W–We can show it later. I promise you that!" I also joined as Tana eventually gave up as her brother could only cross his arms.

"Aw~! You're no fun, Eirika!" Tana pouted.

"Very well. I shall see what kind of powers you 'Riders' have after our discussion. So, you better be true to your words." Innes informed before leading the rest of us to the King's Chamber. Somehow, Eirika was covering for me, and I have to thank her for that. For the time being, we should discuss thing with the king.

* * *

"It does my heart good to see you all here safely within our castle walls." Hayden said as us Riders and the Renais twins, along with Tana, and Innes were in the throne room. "…Would that we had more time for pleasantries, but… let us hear your news."

"Very well, I will begin." Innes said. "I've directed the body of Frelia's army south to engage Grado directly. Our troops are proving themselves superior and the battle progresses favorably."

"Hmm…" Hayden let out. "But the riddle _still_ needs answering. Why did Grado begin this war in the _first_ place?"

"Your Majesty, we may well have found something relating to that…" Eirika began. "We learned something on our travels, news that weighs heavily upon us."

"Ah, yes." Hayden said with a nod. "Our messenger delivered your report to us a few days ago. Grado is trying to destroy the Sacred Stones… Is _that_ it?"

"Yes." Eirika nodded.

"From the looks of it now, since they have learnt the truth about the Sacred Stones on their wrists, both of them are having a big target on their backs." Kurai told the king.

"And things are going to be much harder after that…" Mikoto added.

"I know, young lady." Hayden nodded with a sad look on his face. "That is why we've strengthened the tower's defenses." He explained, gaining our attention. "Frelia's stone is safe for the time being. But we remain confused in this. What does Grado hope to gain by destroying the Sacred Stones?" Hayden asked. He was really baffled about their actions as he put his thought into this mess.

"We don't know, but judging by how serious they were in destroying these Sacred Stones, that means they must have a hidden motive…" Akira answered.

"Akira is right. The legends say the stones protect us all from the power of darkness." Eirika recalled.

Ephraim was also a bit concerned as he stepped up to give the king the details on it. "…I can't say if it relates, but I have heard a story about Grado. It's… been troubling me, and I would like to share it with you all." he said to us, leaving the ones in the room including us, to be confused. As he turned around, he began to call a name from outside of the door. "Myrrh. Come here, please."

The said girl came into the room and walked over next to him. "Yes?" Myrrh asked shyly.

"Who's this girl?" Hayden asked.

"Myrrh, can you please down your cloak?" Ephraim asked kindly. Myrrh was hesitant, but complied. She let her cloak drop, and… she has dragon wings on her back?! I kid you not; these aren't one of those wings that you use for cosplaying; these are _actual_ dragon wings grown and imbedded on her back! Most of us were shocked to see it firsthand, other than Ephraim, which seemed like he knew what kind of response we'd give out. Heck, Tana was so surprised she took a step back and bumped into me as Innes just scoffed.

"Now, _that's_ something you don't see every day…" Kurai muttered out.

"Ah, no way! REAL dragon wings on her back?!" Amber and Mikoto shocked in unison, causing Myrrh to suddenly stand close and cover her face on Ephraim.

"There's no need to be that surprised, you two…" Melissa–sempai said with a sweat drop.

"On her back… Wings?" Hayden asked confused. "Ephraim, who _is_ she?"

"This is Myrrh. I met her while fighting in Grado territory." Ephraim explained before shifting his attention to the girl… dragon… I guess I should stick with the term, girl due to her appearance. "Myrrh, would you please tell everyone here the story you told me?" he asked her in a kind tone.

Myrrh looked around and saw us looking at her to know something that we don't. She was a bit scared before held onto Ephraim. "…Please, Ephraim, you tell them." she said shyly because of not getting used to the surroundings she's in.

"She's a bit shy." Ephraim sighed. "Very well. Myrrh tells me that she belongs to an ancient race of dragon folk. They're mentioned in a few legends. They're called the tribe of Manakete."

"Manakete?" Eirika and the rest of us Riders asked in unison.

"Yes. Their name appears several times in the tale of the Sacred Stones." Hayden replied. "It says they were neither human nor demon but a separate, aloof race."

"Please, Myrrh." Ephraim said, encouraging the girl. Myrrh looked at her surroundings and saw the faces around her.

"Don't worry, dear. Everyone in here is here to help you out." Melissa–sempai comforted with her kind smile, which made the girl feel assured. If it comes to advices and calm consolation, Melissa–sempai is the one to go too. She definitely has that kind of skill… just as long as we don't get to her wrong side that is…

"Yeah, we're here to help, after all!" Storm chirped up.

"So… mind telling us about it?" Akira asked her, which Myrrh eventually gathered up her courage and started to speak.

"We live in the east… in Darkling Woods." Myrrh started to talk. "One day…"

"Yes?" Eirika added as the rest of us lent an ear about her tale.

"We felt something. An ominous energy to the south." she added.

"From the direction of Grado. They felt a… force flowing out of the Grado Empire, which is different from the seven of them…" Ephraim explained as he pointed at us on 'them'. That alone was enough to make Innes raise his eyebrow on us while keeping his stern face as usual.

"Saleh and I… We went to investigate this energy. But on our way down, we came across a battle and were drawn into the conflict." Myrrh continued.

"Myrrh got lost and was wandering aimlessly in an isolated region near Grado's border." Ephraim further explained as Myrrh looked down.

"I met some wicked folk there. They deceived and enchained me, stole my dragonstone, and were preparing me for transport." Myrrh told us, causing us to be surprised.

"It seems like you've gone through a rough time, Myrrh…" Melissa–sempai understood.

"Grr… now I feel like I want to pound those guys into pieces for what they did to her!" Mikoto growled angrily.

"I agree with ya! Other than Natasha, it seems like most of these Grado people really do like doing wicked things onto the innocent!" Amber agreed.

"Um… big sis, Mikoto–chan… please calm down?" Akira asked with a sweat drop.

"So, what happened then?" I asked her.

"It was in that moment when Ephraim appeared and rescued me." Myrrh answered.

"I stumbled across Myrrh by chance when Grado's men had ambushed us." Ephraim said. "Everything she told me seemed beyond belief and yet… And yet, when I saw her wings, what could I do _but_ believe?"

"This dark wave of energy still flows from the southlands." Myrrh continued. "Its current is strong and runs deep. It has awakened the evil ones. I want to stop it."

"Hmmm…" Hayden let out as he lowered his head in thought.

"Your Majesty!" A guard cried out, rushing in as he shoved the doors open. "I bring word!"

"What is so urgent you would interrupt a private council?" Hayden barked out.

"The tower holding the Sacred Stone of Frelia…" The man panted. "It's been destroyed by the Grado army!"

"WHAT?!" All of us asked shocked.

Hayden stepped forward and confront with the soldier. "That's impossible! What of the soldiers on watch? There were supposed to be many…"

"The enemy forces… They were led by Caellach the Tiger Eye and Selena Fluorspar! Our soldiers fell before even half a day had past!" He exclaimed, causing us to be shocked by it.

"Big bro… you thinking what I'm thinking?" Akira asked Storm.

"There's no doubt about it, right, buddy?" Storm asked while looking at me with a serious look.

"Yeah… Grado's generals." I gritted.

"Selena Fluorspar…" Seth said recognizing the name "Only General Duessel is higher in Emperor Vigarde's esteem… She's the one." he added.

"She came personally…" Hayden said in a regretful tone. "So they really _do_ wish to see the Sacred Stones destroyed. Blast…" Hayden cursed.

* * *

_At the Tower of Valni, two sides of soldiers collided with each other as the Frelian soldiers were being killed by most of Grado's soldiers, led by Caellach and Selena. Both of them approached the Stone at the altar. Caellach stared at the stone for a moment before he picked it up to take a good look on it. "Hah! So this hunk of rock is a Sacred Stone, eh?" he scoffed. "So much fuss over something as fragile as this. Watch!" he demonstrated as he clenched his fist tightly, causing the stone brake into tiny pieces as Caellach just laughed. "It crumbles so easily! Do we gain _anything_ by this? Not that I care, but…"_

_"Black–hearted… fool… What have… you… done?" the Frelian Soldier scowled weakly at Caellach, which caught his attention. "Without the stone's… protection… the horrors… will spread…"_

_"Huh? What's this? Still breathing, are you?" Caellach said a bit interested before he walked towards the injured man with his axe in hand "Come. If you've any last words, I'll hear them, fool of Frelia!" Caellach mocked._

_"You… monster…!" the Frelian soldier cursed, which made Caellach laugh out loud before he looked upon the weakened soldier._

_"You waste your last words on insults? And feeble ones, at that…" Caellach continued with a sinister smirk on his face. "Hardly the right note to end the eternal on, wouldn't you say? Well then, die!" Caellach shouted before he chopped off the soldier's head, ending his life in an instant as the severe action caught Selena's attention._

_"Hold!" Selena called out. "What are you _doing_, Caellach? Our job was to destroy the Sacred Stone."_

_"I know that." The man waved off. "And I crushed it, did I _not_? But if we don't clean up these Frelian curs, they might–"_

_"You do not raise you blade to _anyone_ who is powerless to resist you!" Selena bellowed out. "The Emperor does not desire us to kill without cause! That would be murder!"_

_"Right, the Emperor…" Caellach chuckled lightly. "Your name's Selena, ain't it? Tell me, Selena. What makes that pasty–faced old fool's word so important?"_

_"Wretch… You dare _insult_ His Imperial Majesty!"_

_"Hey, hey, I'm joking." Caellach said raising his hands in defense. "Don't get so worked up. I get it now. You're a true and loyal soldier. I'm leaving before Frelia sends reinforcements. Coming?"_

* * *

Hayden could only sits on his throne, still in disbelief on what just happened just now. "How could this happen… How could I have allowed our Sacred Stone to be destroyed?" Hayden said worried. "Dark energies from the Empire's capital… Evil monstrosities roaming our lands… Vigarde's mad invasion… And now it's the destruction of our sacred talisman. And we have no idea of Grado's goals. We are in the dark times once again." Hayden looked down for a moment before he slammed his palm onto the table and looked at us with a determined look on his face. "But even so, we cannot sit here, wringing our hands. First, we must warn the nations that house the remaining Sacred Stones. If Vigarde seeks to destroy the Stones, they are _all_ in grave danger! Jehanna and Rausten _must_ be warned! The nations must join together to fight our common foe!" Hayden planned out.

"Do you think they will _believe_ us?" Eirika asked him, which made him realize it as he sat down and thought again.

"Hm… It _is_ a difficult tale to believe, I must agree." Hayden pointed out.

"I will go, Father." Innes said.

"Innes?"

"A direct visit from the Prince of Frelia is not something they can ignore." Innes pointed out. "I will travel to Jehanna, where I will forge an alliance with her Queen. If our Sacred Stone has been destroyed, then Frelia could be in greater danger. Father, I cannot let you leave the nation in such a time of crisis. It is imperative that I be the one to go." he persuaded, as Hayden lower his head down to think.

"And I will head for Rausten." Eirika added.

"Eirika?" Ephraim began. "You know I can't let you put yourself in such danger."

"Rest easy, dear brother." Eirika replied. "I will journey to Rausten by ship across the North Sea. There will be no danger. And I have made a vow. I will fight as you have until the day Renais is liberated.'

"And you have me and the other Riders to protect her." I added.

Ephraim was a bit surprised before his smile appeared on his face and nodded. "…I understand. King Hayden, I will take troops and march on the imperial capital from the west." he planned, causing Hayden to be shocked.

"The west?! Are you saying you will begin an assault on Grado from here?!" Hayden asked him.

"If we can take Grado Keep, the war will be over. The Sacred Stones will be safe." Ephraim said with an assured tone. "If we start here and press forward with all our might…"

"And once you reach the capital?" Hayden intervened. "Vigarde's generals will be there _waiting_ for you."

"If they oppose us, we will fight." Ephraim told him.

Hayden could only let out a chuckle of his own as he looked upon the prince. "…You've got your father's foolhardy courage, don't you?" he complimented as a smile appeared on his face. "…Very well. I entrust all our hope to you three." he said as he began instruct them. "Innes, you will go to Jehanna, Eirika to Rausten, and Ephraim to the imperial capital. Funding you will have, but of soldiers, we have few to spare. For each of you, a difficult road awaits." he said before he shifted his attention to us Riders. "So, I ask of you, fellow Riders from another world. Lend us your strength one last time in assisting us from letting Grado destroy the Sacred Stones." the king asked me.

"Of course." I bowed.

"You have our word." Kurai answered.

"It's our duty as Riders." Storm added.

"We'll help out in any way we can." Akira said.

"You can count on us!" Mikoto said giving a thumbs–up.

"We'll send those Grado soldiers crying!" Amber winked.

"We'll win this. I'm sure." Melissa–sempai said.

Hayden lets out a smile on his face as Ephraim began to say something to us as well. "If any of us meet defeat, the battle will turn to Grado's favor. There must be no errors. We must not fail."

"Where I command, there are no mistakes." Innes said confidently while crossing his arms.

"I have no doubts. I'll succeed, I swear it." Eirika assured them.

"If that is the case, all of you shall depart first day tomorrow." Hayden said as he noticed there are some new faces that he hadn't seen before. "If I recall… I do not know another four of you riders before. Mind giving me your names?" Hayden asked the remaining four riders.

"Of course! My name is Akira, a Rider with the power of flames named Kamen Rider Garren!" Akira introduced himself.

"Kurai… Kamen Rider Chalice." Kurai said crossing his arms while giving him a slight nod.

"I am Melissa, as I am also Kamen Rider Leangle." Melissa–sempai introduced to the king politely.

"And I am Mikoto! The last person that have been recruited by Kurogasa and I am Kamen Rider Glaive!" Mikoto chirped up.

"Father, why is it that they have such weird second names? And why did you refer them as Riders from another world?" Innes asked him.

"You'll see! Well, Kurogasa, mind showing my brother what you mean by that? I'm _so_ eager to see new armors as well!" Tana chirped up.

"Might as well." I shrugged as I turned to the other Riders. "Guys?"

The rest nodded before we took out our cards and slid it into our buckles before a deck of cards began to wrap around our waist as Kurai only puts on his buckle while holding his card on his hand. "Cards?" Innes asked confused as most of us got into our stance before we shouted one word in unison.

"Henshin!"

**TURN/OPEN UP**

**CHANGE**

In an instant, Innes suddenly backed off after seeing seven holograms of our Category Ace before it slowly entered through us, donning us in our armor. "What kind of sorcery _is_ this?!" Innes asked was shocked after witnessing our transformation as both Tana and Hayden were impressed by the new appearance of other riders they haven't seen before.

"Don't worry, Innes. Even _I_ was surprised when I saw it firsthand…" Ephraim assured him.

"Me too…" Eirika added as Tana just perked up in an instant.

"Wow! Those armors look so great!" Tana exclaimed.

"Well, this is just our usual appearance, that's all…" Garren said as he rubbed the back of his helmet.

"There's more to come, but that can wait…" I told her, which made Ephraim, Tana and Innes confused for a bit.

"There's more?" Ephraim asked.

"Yeah, but we don't have the cards for it just yet…" Lance told him.

"I see. Well, for the time being, all of you should get yourself a good rest. You will depart at sunrise." Hayden told us as we canceled out our transformation. Somehow, I can see Tana was getting more interested in me… as I can actually see her eyes sparkle too.

* * *

It was late at night, and after a filling dinner, I was in a room by myself with the door open. I lied down on my bed, thinking about everything that's happened so far. I mean, me, Storm, and Amber and I went to a Kamen Rider convention just to have fun until we suddenly sucked up by into a portal into this world. And not to mention, we became Kamen Riders and met with Akira and the others later on as the journey continued and _they_ became Kamen Riders. And then after that whole war council and seeing Myrrh with her dragon wings, it's just all surreal. I really needed to calm down. And I always do with music. After the war council, after walking around the castle exploring around a bit, I found a guitar thanks to a minstrel who got a new guitar and didn't need the old one, so he let me keep it. So the music I'm going to play is from the anime Bleach. The guitar OST called Going Home. Oh yeah, I forgot to mention, I'm good at guitar too. Oh, and piano, just so you know. So like I did back in Serafew, I sat on the window sill with one leg on it, and the other hanging on the inside of the room, and began to play.

* * *

_As Eirika walked across the hallway, she heard someone playing the guitar and it was coming from the guest room, where Kurogasa and his group were staying. As the melody somehow soothed her, she decided to take a peek to see who was playing and it turns out, it was Kurogasa and he seemed really immersed in the music with every pluck of the guitar strings. Under the moonlight, it shone upon Kurogasa and she couldn't help but look at him with a slight blush before she closed her eyes and listened to the whole music as memories of the past began to shine in her eyes. At that time, a tear actually flowed off from her eyes as she recollected some of the memories that she cherished most._

* * *

_At the same time, Tana heard the sound of the beautiful melody from her room as she walked out from the balcony but stopped halfway after seeing Kurogasa strumming the guitar with full of passion as she only listened to it by leaning against the wall. The sound of the melody somehow calmed her down as she wanted to listen to it to the very end. "It's… beautiful…" Tana said under her smile. _

_As she wanted to greet him and maybe want him to play some songs some more, she noticed Eirika was leaning against the wall inside his room and she really loved the song that he was playing. When she looked at Eirika and Kurogasa back and forth, she realized that somehow, someway… Eirika has really fallen for him. Taking note of it, she slowly backed off and turned around to go back to her room. "You're lucky…Kurogasa." Tana said under her childish smile as she happily skipped her way back to her room._

* * *

Huh… that's better. That really calmed me down. When I finished the song, I looked at my right, and I saw…

"Eirika?!" I asked a bit startled.

Eirika was surprised to see me as she panicked for a bit before she wiped off tears from her eyes. "K–Kurogasa! I–I was just listening to the song you were playing on your guitar… and... it's beautiful…" Eirika said while looking away.

"U–Uh… thanks…" I got out while scratching the back of my head.

"That song… really made me remember my past… about Renais when it was peaceful…" Eirika said while looking at me with her sincere smile and gaze.

"I see…" I said getting off the window sill and putting away the guitar before walking up to her. "Listen, about what happened back at Serafew, I–"

Eirika placed her forefinger onto my lips as she replied back to me with a slight blush of her own, "It's okay… I forgive you. It was all by accident, correct? I was just about to apologize to you as well after listening to some advice from Melissa." Eirika said.

"Really?" I asked.

Eirika nodded in agreement as she slowly walked towards the balcony. "I do not know why, but when I saw Tana hug you in your arms, I don't know why, but my chest… it hurts. When I asked Melissa about it, she only said 'I have to find out what that pain is, even if it takes me forever to figure it out… and when I found the answer, the rest is up to me to decide.' That's what she told me…" she said while looking at the balcony as the gentle night wind blew her hair softly while the moonlight shined upon her face, making me mesmerized by her beauty…

"Eirika…" I got out.

"Yes, Kurogasa?" she said while looking at me.

I then walked over to her and I suddenly, gently grabbed her shoulders. "K–Kurogasa?" She asked a bit startled.

"Eirika, there's been something I wanted to tell you." I said.

"Y–Yes… what is it?" Eirika asked stuttered as both of our faces were now very close to each other, causing her to blush.

"Eirika, I… I…"

"Hey Kurogasa, we're back!"

DANG IT!

Amber walked in happily with Mikoto as Kurai went to his bed to go to sleep, no further questions. And because of her sudden appearance, both Eirika and I suddenly took a step back and pretended to mind our own business as Amber looked at both of us. "Oh~? Is there something I missed?" Amber attacked with her usual tease.

"I–It's nothing, Amber. I just came here, listening to Kurogasa's guitar play, am I right, Kurogasa?" Eirika asked trying to make an excuse… well, actually more like a half lie, half–truth.

"U–Uh, yeah, that's right." I went along.

"Are you sure?" Amber asked. Oh boy, she had that mischievous grin on her face again. "You two didn't do any of… this, aren't ya?" Amber said while making a gesture with her hands of kissing with each other.

"Amber!" Eirika flustered as Amber giggled.

To be honest, that _was_ about to happen until you _ruined_ it! …is what I _would've_ said. But what came out of my mouth was, "No we didn't." I sighed irritably. "Excuse me…" I said, then walked out of the room leaving Amber confused and Eirika worried.

* * *

"Dang it! Dang it! Dang it!" I said banging my head constantly on a wooden beam somewhere in the castle. I was _this_ close! _THIS _close to confessing my feelings for Eirika and Amber just _had_ to ruin the moment! "Dang it! Dang it! Dang it!"

"Whoa, whoa, what's wrong buddy?" A voice asked. I turned around to see Storm walk towards me.

"Storm…" I muttered.

"There's no need to bang your head on the wood like that. You might have your forehead bleed after that bruise on your head…" he said in a concern tone before he gets to the point. "Now what happened?"

"I was about to confess… and Amber's timing's bad as ever…" I said feeling depressed.

"You know, you can't blame her for that, right? It's just a mere coincidence that she came in that room…" Storm said to me in a calm tone.

"I was _THIS_ close… to tell Eirika how I actually feel!" I cringed in anger as Storm could only just pat my shoulder to calm me down.

"There's always another time to let it out, buddy… it's just you picked the wrong time to confess, that's all." Storm said while looking outside of the window. "Don't you worry about it; I also experienced it with Amber in the past…"

"I hope you're right…"

"I know I'm right. I'm sure of it, buddy." Storm said to me with an assured smile before he lets out a yawn. "C'mon… we got a big adventure tomorrow!"

"Yeah… I know…" I sighed before both of us headed towards our room to rest for the night.

* * *

_Eirika was sleeping in Tana's room for tonight in their sleeping dress. While Tana slept happily, Eirika couldn't sleep. She couldn't help but remember about Kurogasa's sudden bold action and not to mention his expression while he took his leave, leaving both Amber confused and herself worried for him._

_"When I look at him sad, I couldn't help but be worried for him… and seeing both of our faces really close to each other, and wanting to say something to me… what was it?" Eirika wondered before suddenly she placed her hand onto her chest from a sudden pain. "Why is it that every time I think of it, my face feels hot, and my heart beats really fast and painful every time it beats? Please, make it stop…" she pressed her hand harder on her chest and eventually, it calms down as she looks up to the sky. "Why am I acting like this? Just… what is this feeling?"_

* * *

Alright! That's another chapter of Kamen Rider Blade: The Sacred Stones down! And wow, this is a lot of words that Wild Fang and I put down! Heck, it's almost 15,000 words total! Anyways, that Trial A Undead in this chapter was made up by the Wild Fang, so credit for him for that. And as always, review!

**Spades:** A, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, **10**, J, Q  
**Diamonds:** A, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10, **J**, **Q**  
**Hearts:** A, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, **Q**  
**Clubs:** A, 2, 3, 4, **5**, 6, 8, 10, **J**  
**Trial: A**


	12. Chapter 9: Distant Blade

Okay guys, after a week taking a break from this story, it's time to go on Eirika's path! Let's go!

Disclaimer: Same thing.

* * *

Chapter 9: Distant Blade

_Kurogasa was in the darkness. He couldn't see anything. That was until he saw two figures. He started to run towards the figures. But when he got close enough, his body suddenly stopped. He tried to move, but his body won't let him. He saw the two figures and gasped in horror of what he was seeing. It was Eirika. She was on the ground pinned down, helpless to do anything and on top of her, was Valter!_

_"Please, stop… PLEASE!" Eirika begged, as tears streamed down her face._

_"That's it, scream! Call Kurogasa! He's not going to save you!" Valter shouted, laughing at her. He then did something to make Eirika scream even louder._

_"Stop… PLEASE STOP!" Eirika screeched. "STOOOOPPPP!"_

_"Beg, Princess Eirika, beg! Beg for your innocence!" Valter yelled, continuing to laugh at her. "It makes it much more fun for me that way. I shall tame and make you become my bride!"_

_"EIRIKA!" Kurogasa cried in horror. He has to save Eirika! He just had to! "You bastard! Let her go!" He tried to run so he could save Eirika, but his body wouldn't let him go. _'I can't move by body! Move! Move! Move!' _Then, at that point, the man stopped. Kurogasa saw why because when Valter stopped, Eirika screamed a very horrified scream and it made Valter laugh insanely._

_"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"_

* * *

"EIRIKA!" I shouted. I jolted up sitting up on the bed suddenly scaring the wits of Storm and the others. My heartbeat was fast, I was panting heavily, and ice cold sweat trickled down my whole face. Dang it, that dream again…

"Hey, buddy! What's wrong?" Storm asked me as if he's gotten a shock of his own before he rubbed his eyes. "You know you woke me up in the middle of the night, right?"

"You idiot!" Amber screamed angrily as she threw her pillow at my face. "Your scream startled me!"

"Now, now, Amber… Kurogasa might have a bad dream, right?" Melissa–sempai said worried while looking at me as Kurai didn't give a darn about it and continued on with his sleep.

"Big bro… why did you mention Eirika earlier?" Akira asked.

"I'm sorry, everyone…" I sighed panting wearily as I had a hand over eyes sitting down. "Dang it, of all the dreams, it _had_ to be _that_ one…"

"_That_ dream?" Mikoto yawned.

"A dream that involves Eirika, huh?" Amber asked as she somehow had that mischievous look on her face. Can't she read the mood?! Melissa–sempai couldn't help it but feel worried about my condition.

Much to everyone's confusion, she walks out from her bed sits next to me and… hugged me at my _side_? "Melissa–sempai?"

"When my little brother has a nightmare, he always rushed towards my room and hugs me. You remind me of my little brother and I can't help, but calm you down." she said with as she let my head lean on her lap while she gently combed my hair, somehow making me feel safe. She's like the mother of our group due to her motherly nature as she always helped us out on situations that we had, even in a _love_ situation. This is why I always looked up to her not only as my mentor, but also a mother figure too. Just when the rest of the team managed to calm ourselves down to get some sleep, Melissa–sempai suddenly sang a lullaby song she called Konoyo no Uta, which somehow… it's really calm and peaceful.

* * *

_She sang the song from start to finish and one by one, they went to sleep as they went back to their wonderland. Kurogasa was the last one to sleep when she was just about finished her song. After finishing, Melissa noticed that everyone slept peacefully with smiles on their faces, thus making her satisfied. She gently placing Kurogasa's head off from her lap, back to his pillow, covered him in his blanket, and gave him a goodnight kiss on his forehead. "I hope you have a nice dream and sleep peacefully, Kurogasa." she said with a smile before she stood up and returned back to her bed. She laid back onto her bed and covers herself with her blanket before looking up at the ceiling muttering something in a soft tone. "I wonder… if my little brother is sleeping peacefully without a nightmare…" she said to herself before she closed her eyes and went back to sleep with a smile on her face._

* * *

The next day, I had woken up. Thankfully I was able to sleep thanks to Melissa–sempai's singing. I gotta thank her later on. I noticed that everyone but Storm had left the room for breakfast. "Oh, morning buddy. Sleep well?"

"Yeah." I answered. "I gotta thank sempai for singing." It was a silent for a moment. "Hey Storm, can you keep a secret?"

"Sure… man… that song really put me in childhood wonderland…" Storm said impressed for a bit before he got to the point. "I think you want to talk about the name that you screamed last night… Eirika, right?" he asked as he finished putting on his boots.

"Yeah… Do not tell this to anyone. Not even Eirika herself. Even if Amber tortured you for the answer, you. Do. Not. Tell." I was dead serious. In fact, I haven't been _this_ serious in my entire life.

"Wow… this is the first time I've seen you _this _determined to not let this secret leak out towards the others and for me to call Fort Knox about it…" Storm joked for a bit before he got serious with me as well. "Hit me then."

"Alright…" I took a heavy deep breath before I started. "The reason I screamed Eirika's name was that I… I saw in my dream… her being raped by Valter."

Storm was stunned when I mentioned 'that' name, as he suddenly clenched his fist and I couldn't blame him. When we first met Valter, he toyed with and mocked us Kamen Riders, labeling us as weaklings. He even compared our strength to the injured Seth, which really hurt our pride. "Then… at that time, you tried to come to her rescue in your dream, right?" he asked as his tone was serious all of a sudden.

"Yeah… and that's the _worst_ part…" I muttered sadly. "For some reason I couldn't move my body while Valter was raping her… I couldn't do anything to _stop_ him…" By then, I was shaking a little bit. "Storm… I'm _scared_ for her…" Storm was silent while looking down angrily. This was one of the rare times I've seen him to be _this_ quiet. I couldn't help it as my whole body kept shaking, remembering the horror that I had in my dream… her scream, her cry, his sinister laugh… everything…

"There's only one thing you _can_ do, buddy…" he finally spoke, breaking my trance.

"And that would be…"

"Face him… but not in your _current_ form. You're going to face him in _'that'_ form." he said while glaring at me seriously. I understood what he was trying to say. "As long as you don't have _'that'_ form at your disposal, he'll continue to break loose, be out of control, and grab anything he likes on sight… even the ones that you care about the most…"

"Yeah…" I got out.

"But right now, you don't have _'that'_ Undead yet. We need to find and seal _'that'_ Undead if you're going to stand a chance against him." Storm added.

He's got a point… and we better hurry up and find it before it's too late to stop the loose cannon… I let out a sigh of relief after that. "I'm so glad I let it out of my chest and tell you about it…"

"It _does_ feel much better once you've told someone you trust the most, huh?" he added before he switched back to his usual self in an instant. Why am I not surprised? Because that's just how he is… an airhead; but I can't hate him for being himself.

"Thanks man, but _until_ then, promise me you'll protect her with your life if I'm not around during battle." I said putting a hand on his shoulder.

"You have my word, buddy." Storm assured me.

"UWHOAAAAA!" Storm and I jumped at the sound as we saw the door open to reveal… Amber, Mikoto, Akira, Kurai, heck even Melissa-sempai all piled on the floor!

**Insert BGM: Tanoshii Ibento – Track 25 (Cardfight! Vanguard OST CD 2)**

"Iteeeeeeeee!" Akira groaned in pain as he and Kurai were on the ground and Kurai only groan silently. Amber and Mikoto were piled on top of them and Melissa–sempai was on top of the other two, as both me and Storm sweat dropped.

"Oh dear… I think we've been discovered…" Melissa–sempai said in her usual tone with a sweat drop.

"See?! I _told_ you too many of you guys would cause the door to crumble down!" Mikoto snapped.

"Well, it was _my_ idea to eavesdrop on what the two were talking about!" Amber retaliated back.

"Originally, my only intention was to wake them up since they're asleep… I didn't know any of this before…" Melissa–sempai added.

"Yeah, but big bro's sudden scream caught my curiosity for a while…" Akira said.

"Tch… then why do you keep dragging me along something that I don't want to get myself _involved_ in, cousin? Get off me! You're crushing me here!" Kurai retaliated.

"ARE YOU SAYING WE'RE HEAVY?!" Amber and Mikoto said in unison glaring at him angrily before delivering one of their hits on his head, clearly making him groan in pain before…

*WHACK*

"Yeouch!" Kurai groaned as a bump rose from his head with smoke appearing on it, courtesy of Melissa–sempai knocking his head with her staff.

"My, my… such words you've used on us…" Melissa-sempai smiled.

"I think the cat's out of the bag, buddy…" Storm said to me. I couldn't help but sweat bullets for the worst possible outcome from this mess…

"How much did you hear?" I sighed wearily face palming, and shaking my head.

"Pretty much the whole thing!" Mikoto chirped up as everyone got back on their feet.

Amber said with a mischievous smile on her face, "Aw~ Kurogasa really _does_ care about Eirika! I'm gonna tell her!" Amber said happily before she was stopped by Melissa–sempai.

"Amber dear… you know it's a bad thing for you to do something that makes him embarrassed about it…" Melissa–sempai smiled at her and for some reason, Amber's whole body shook from her smile alone, which indicated she's also experiencing what Kurai and I experienced.

"H–Hai…" she stuttered while looking down.

"I wonder why she's afraid of sempai all of a sudden." Storm asked himself.

"You don't wanna know…" I said.

**End BGM**

* * *

I then started looking solemn and serious again. "So now you guys know…"

"Yeah, and I don't give a da–"

*STOMP*

"Yeouch!" Kurai cringed in pain, courtesy of Melissa-sempai's staff on his toe. "Why do you _always_ do that?!"

"Because you're going to use foul language on the boy…" she said to him with a smile. He went into silent mode in an instant.

"Big bro… I didn't know you had _that_ kind of a bad dream…" Akira said concerned.

"As unbelievable as it is, it's the truth…" Storm replied.

"Oh, I'm sorry for throwing that pillow at your face last night." Amber said hugging me, now starting to feel bad. "I didn't know it was _that_ bad…"

"Amber…" I muttered as I let her hug me. She teases me a lot all the time, but like a sister, she really cares for me too… but that doesn't occur a lot because of her teasing.

"And now, we got ourselves a new mission!" Mikoto said happily.

"A new mission?" I asked her.

"Yeah! It's to make sure your bad dream doesn't turn into a living nightmare, _that's_ what it is!"

"Mikoto…" I got out smiling gently. She lets out that big smile of hers as the rest gave me a nod of assurance.

"Well, I guess we should get ourselves a good breakfast before we head out. Shall we?" Melissa–sempai said as the rest walked out of the room, leaving me and Melissa–sempai all alone. She was about to leave the room too, but I stopped her by saying something to her.

"Wait, Melissa–sempai…" I got out, as she turned around and looked at me.

"Yes, Kurogasa?" she said while looking at me with her smile and kind aura.

"Thanks for singing the song last night… I needed it." I smiled gently.

"You're welcome… whenever there are doubts you have in mind, I'll be sure to help out in any way I can." she replied before she headed back towards the door and started walking. "Saa, please hurry up and have breakfast, ne?"

"Hai."

* * *

At breakfast, everyone was eating in good health. Storm being Storm as he had his egg burger while me the others sat and ate in good manners and Tana practically clung to my arm sitting next to me. "So, when are you going to play a song for me again like last night, Kurogasa?" Tana asked cheerfully.

"T–Tana, please! Let him have his meal…" Eirika said trying to calm her down.

"I know _you_ enjoyed it last night, didn't you, Eirika?" Tana replied with a happy smile, causing Eirika to have a slight blush as Innes sighed.

"Whatever he did last night is none of your concern, Tana. I suggest you let him be on his meal…" Innes told her as Tana pouted.

"Brother! Why is it that you _always_ bring the mood down?" she said to him.

"Oh, Tana… always the cheerful one as you always will be…" Ephraim chuckled, causing her to have a little blush before she looked down shyly, sitting back quietly and took a sip from her drink.

"After we have this meal, we should all do our roles on warning the others and protect the Sacred Stones at all cost." Joshua said in a nonchalant tone.

"Agreed." I said. "Also, after this meal, I'd like to talk with Neimi, Artur, Ross, and Gilliam in private if that's alright with you four." I added.

"M–Me?" Neimi stuttered as she was about to take a small bite on her roasted ham.

"What's with the sudden call, Kurogasa?" Ross asked in confusion.

"Is something the matter that seeks my help, young man?" Artur asked me as Gilliam could only look at me with a stern face.

"Whatever it is, it must be really important, lad…" Gilliam added.

"Oh don't worry, it's something good…" I smiled.

* * *

After breakfast, I led the four to an empty room. "Alright, what's this all about?" Ross asked.

"Well, I've talked with King Hayden about something before breakfast and after talking to him and thinking about things for a while, I've finally come to my decision. We'll start with you Ross. You a good swimmer?"

"Are you _kidding_ me?! I always swim at the lake back at home, just to build _these_ babies!" Ross said as he showed off his muscles on his biceps. "It took me a while and plus, since I've swam so much, I can actually swim fast in water, like I run on dry land! Heck, I even fought a few crocodiles with a hatchet in hand in the lake. Sure, I started off with a baby crocodile, but eventually, I made my way up without my dad knowing I've fended off against a big crocodile on my own!" Ross boasted.

"Wow, r–really?" Neimi asked impressed.

"You betcha!" Ross said keeping a grin on his face.

"Well then, that makes things easier. How would you like to be a warrior of the sea? In other words how would you like to be a Pirate?" I grinned.

"Oh yeah! I always wanted to be a warrior of the sea!" Ross said happy.

"Didn't you want to become a Warrior like your father, lad?" Gilliam pointed out.

"Of course I want to be a warrior, but it doesn't have to be a warrior on _land_, right?" Ross replied back, as Gilliam looked at the boy before nodding in agreement, indicating he's got the answer what he was looking for.

"Then consider it done. From now on, you're a Pirate." I smiled.

"Yeah!" Ross cheered.

"Now on to _you_, Neimi." I said turning. "I've noticed that you've gotten better using your bow and arrow during these past couple of months."

"R–Really? M–My grandfather taught me all of the things about being an archer, s–so… I was hoping that s–_someday_, I can become as good as him…" Neimi said while looking down, stuttering.

"I'm sure you will. You've been working pretty hard and getting better and better. But now it's time I give you a bit a challenge." I then took out the Orion's Bolt emblem from my pocket which surprised Neimi.

"I–Is that–" Neimi stuttered.

"That's right. The Order of Orion's Bolt. The challenge I want you to do is shooting a bow and arrow while riding on a horse. And if you can, maybe you can learn the sword too. I'll ask Seth to teach you horseback riding and the sword as we journey on. So as of now, I'm going to promote you from Archer to Ranger. Congratulations." I said giving the promotion item to her.

"K–Kurogasa… I don't know what to say…" Neimi said getting teary before she wipes it off and gave me a smile on her face. "T–Thank you for this opportunity!"

"No problem." I smiled before turning to Artur. "Now for you Brother Artur, I would rather have a religious official of high status do this, but I guess I can make an exception. I apologize if this is rather unorthodox." I said rubbing the back of my head in embarrassment.

"Ah, it's not a big matter, Kurogasa. And I appreciate it. Even if it's the most little things, I have no trouble about it. Even in our religion, the Divine One always told us to appreciate any kind of gifts in modesty." Artur assured me.

"Well, if that's the case, then I guess you earned _this_ one for sure." I said while I took out a ring, causing Artur to be a bit surprised.

"A Guiding Ring?" he replied.

"Yeah, and I want you to have it so that you are no longer a Monk." I said to him.

"Pardon?"

"You're now a Bishop." I replied to him, causing him to be surprised as I handed the Guiding Ring on my hand to his. "Will you accept it?"

"Kurogasa, it would be my honor to do so." Artur said as he wears the ring on his finger before he looks back on me.

"Thank you. And I'll ask Father Moulder to teach you how to use Staves."

"Of course. May the light continue to guide your path."

"Thank you, Your Excellency." I teased.

"Please, just refer to me by my name instead of my title. I insist." Artur waved off before I shifted my attention to the last man in the room, Gilliam.

"Let me guess, you wanted to promote me as well, lad?" he asked me.

"You guessed correct. King Hayden speaks very highly of you. You're very dedicated to your country."

"Of course. It's what I've done best, lad. And it would be my honor to hear such words from the king himself after serving in the army for a long time." Gilliam said as he felt proud at that moment.

"And I'm sure you'll be more honored when I reward you for such dedication by promoting you from Knight to General." I said taking out from my pocket a shield emblem called a Knight's Crest as King Hayden told me.

"Of _course_ I would be honored, lad. It's the highest rank amongst the soldiers, like a Paladin or a Great Knight for the cavalries…" Gilliam said as he took the Knight's Crest with a smile on his face. "I will continue to serve the king and provide you with any help that I can to ensure our victory."

"I'm sure you will." I smiled. "Alrighty then that concludes our impromptu promotion ceremony! Normally we'd celebrate, but that'll have to wait. Right now, we prepare to head for Rausten!"

* * *

_In Grado Keep, the six generals were having a meeting of their own as they discussed about the Sacred Stones to their Emperor. As they further explained the King wasn't satisfied. "Frelia's Sacred Stone has been destroyed. And yet you cannot locate the Stone of Renais." Vigarde said displeased before looking upon two of his generals. "Glen. Valter. Find the children of Renais. Find them and take from them the bracelets that they wear. Glen, take Eirika. Valter, take Ephraim. Find them. Conquer them."_

_"Yes, Your Majesty…" Glen replied with a bow as Valter had that sinister smile on his face._

_"Ha ha… Eirika, eh? She's a ripe little peach." he smirked. "And her brother, Ephraim… He's better prey than I'd imagined." He then lets out a loud chuckle as things around him are getting interesting. "And even with those Riders that I toyed along… I'm sure I'll take away their lives AND their sources of powers with my Obsidian in hand! Yes, I can feel my blood rushing at the thought! This might be fun after all!" Valter said before the two walked out of the room._

_"Caellach. Riev. Shatter the remaining Sacred Stones. Caellach, take Jehanna. Riev, take Rausten. Go. Crush the Sacred Stones they house."_

_"Heh heh heh…" Riev cackled as he rubbed his hands together. "As you will. I'll begin making arrangements for Rausten's downfall immediately…"_

_"Bah!" Caellach scoffed. "Why am I stuck with Jehanna? Accursed ill luck. I became a mercenary to escape that wretched place, and now I must go back?" He scowled before he and the old Bishop left as well._

_The king then focused on his remaining generals. "Duessel. Go to Frelia. Take the Frelian army and punish Ephraim."_

_Duessel was a bit worried for a moment but due to the order of the king, he has no choice but to obey it as he bowed towards the king. "At once…"_

_"Selena. Remain in the capital. Soon, I will have new orders for you."_

_"Yes, sire…" Selena obeyed before they left the room as well._

_"Soon… everything will become what it was, once again… a world full of darkness…" Vigarde said to himself as he sat on the throne with an evil smirk on his face._

* * *

As the caravan was being filled up with supplies and being funds of an additional 10,000 gold for the journey, I was at the steps thinking over the dream that I had that night. Sure, I told the rest of the riders as they promised not to tell Eirika in any way possible for her sake but whenever I think about it, I can't help but be extremely worried… if Valter somehow gets his hands on her and I failed to stop him… I–

"Kurogasa?" a voice called as I snapped out of my fantasy and returned to reality as I noticed Eirika riding a white horse looking at me with concern on her face. "Is something wrong? You look pale…"

"Oh, no… I'm fine." I lied putting on a smile.

Even though I smiled at her, she can't help it but to feel worried about me. "Kurogasa… if there's something that bothers you… please, te–"

"Princess Eirika!" A voice called as both of us looked to the side to see both Kyle and Forde riding on their horses and gallop towards our direction.

"Is your departure time near?" Forde asked, as she nodded in agreement.

"Yes. Kyle, Forde, I'm traveling to Rausten. I ask that you two serve my brother well." she said to them.

"Actually, there's been a slight change of plans." Forde said with his smile on his face, causing both of us to be confused.

"We're going with you, Your Highness." Kyle replied. Well that's surprising.

"What?" Eirika gasped. "But…"

"Prince Ephraim rides with Frelia's finest at his back." Kyle explained.

"And this was a personal order from the prince himself." Forde continued. "He said, 'I don't need you loafing around here. Go keep Eirika safe.'" He said then crossed his arms in annoyance. "Since when is battling all of _Grado_ loafing about? Honestly!"

"You're right!" she immediately agrees with them. "My brother's mission is _far_ more dangerous than mine! I will go and speak with him…" she said as she tried to get to her brother, only to be stopped by both of the knights.

"Princess Eirika. Prince Ephraim said he's not concerned for his own safety. These are the words our prince gave us, and we believe he _means_ them." Kyle said sternly.

"That's the truth of it." Forde shrugged "There's no cause for worry, Princess Eirika. We can all attest to the prince's tenacity. No matter how close death comes, the Pale Horse will not catch him." he assured her.

"…Kyle, Forde…" Eirika breathed out. "I understand. Thank you for your service and your bravery. You are my brother's most trusted and most valiant companions. I would be honored to have you ride at my side."

"The honor is ours." Kyle replied. "We ride for Renais and Princess Eirika!"

"Let's not work ourselves into a frenzy right now." Forde replied. "When the time comes, I will be there to handle things."

"Of course." Eirika said with a smile. "I'm depending on both of you."

"Looks like we got ourselves new cavalries at our disposal… I just hope you guys are up for a bumpy ride…" I warned them as Forde had that smile on his face while Kyle looked at me with a rather stern look.

"As long as I will become useful for the Princess's sake, I will do my best…" Kyle replied first.

"And after fighting with that Undead, according to you, I bet things would be more interesting right after that." Forde followed suit as I noticed Neimi also riding on a horse, followed by Storm and he held… another rope with a horse?

"Hey, buddy! Seth told me to give this one to ya since he rides on one of the good ones." Storm smiled.

"Cool. Thanks man." I said.

Storm let out a smile before he turned his horse around. "Well, what are you _waiting_ for?! The adventure awaits us!" Storm said happily as he galloped his horse towards the caravan, as Kyle sighed and Forde chuckled.

"The boy's right. We better get a head start if we want to get to Rausten." Forde said before he followed suit.

"I can pretty much tell this is going to be one rough journey…" Kyle complained.

* * *

And so we began our journey towards Rausten. Along the way, Seth and I have been teaching Neimi horseback riding and swordplay. Like all beginners, she was wet behind the ears. Even her shooting and bow while the horse was moving was gonna take time. "Well, look on the bright side; at least she's a fast learner… just as long as she doesn't cry again…" Colm shrugged as he looked at Neimi.

"Ross, since you've been pledged a warrior of the sea, I guess you can use them now…" Garcia said as Ross was testing out dual axes on his hand.

"Yeah, and with that, now I can use dual axes at my disposal! Sure, it may be difficult at first but I'll get the hang of it!" Ross added.

Natasha looked around as Artur look at her with a confused look. "What brings you trouble, sister?"

"Did you all… hear that?" Natasha asked them as everyone in the caravan looked around to find the source of the sound.

Amber looks out from the caravan and noticed something on the sky. "Hey~! There's a Pegasus flying over there! And it's heading towards our direction!"

"A Pegasus Knight?" Vanessa said as she, Eirika, Neimi, the rest of the knights and I looked up and boy… I can't believe what I'm seeing here…

"Heeeeeeey~!" Tana… great… wait, what is she doing all the way out _here_? "Whoa, slow down! Slow down!" Tana cried frantically trying to get her Pegasus to stop but couldn't! And it's heading straight for me! "Waaah!"

"Oh, crud…" I muttered out before-

*CRASH!*

In a split second, everything went black for a moment and as I was coming to, I noticed that I can see the sky on my view, I laid on solid ground and not on my horse, and let's not forget that I felt something heavy on me… it was then Tana slowly pushed herself up and noticed the situation we're in. She's right on top of me and I was on the ground, feeling pain all over my body from her crash alone. It took a while until she muttered out the very first thing she had in mind… with a big smile on her, no less… "Thanks for taking the crash for me!"

"Uh… sure…" I groaned. Wait a minute… something's wrong. Why do my legs feel stiff all of a sudden? Oh crap, my hormones are acting up! This isn't helping!

Eirika and a few people ran towards our direction and had a slight panic. "Tana?! What are you _doing_ here?!"

"Your Highness! You were supposed to remain in the _palace_! It's for your own safety!" Vanessa exclaimed as Tana crossed her arms while not budging an inch from where she was sitting.

"You left so abruptly, without any warning or farewell." Tana said angrily. "You and Ephraim have only just arrived, and already you leave on another quest? Well, I'm your friend Eirika, and I won't let you go into danger without me." Tana said determined as Eirika got worried about her.

"Does King Hayden _know_ of this?" Eirika asked.

"No." Tana said bold shaking her head in disagreement. "He'd just say 'I forbid you to go on this foolish errand!' like always. But I'm so _worried_ about you." she said worried.

"Thank you, Tana." Eirika said. "I appreciate your concern, but King Hayden would–" But Tana immediately intervened her speech.

"You and Ephraim, my father and my brother…" she said while looking down, as I noticed her expression hinted pain in it. "You're all fighting together, fighting for a noble cause. I cannot be left out." she said shaking her head lightly before looking at her friend with a glare. "I will _not_ be left out. Please, Eirika!"

Eirika could only let out a sigh of defeat before she came to a conclusion. "…Oh… all right. I never could refuse you anything." she replied to her, causing Tana to be extremely happy.

"Oh, thank you, Eirika!" she said happily. Akira approached her as she looked at him. "Yes?"

"Um… mind getting off of big bro, big sis? I think he's suffering down there…" Akira pointed out as she hadn't realized that she was still on _top_ of me. She had that cheeky smile and laid her head on my chest, surprising everyone.

"Can't I stay like this a little bit longer? I kinda like it already!" Tana said to him, as I felt my legs going numb… literally.

"No… please, my legs are going numb… literally… oh crap, oh crap, my legs are falling asleep! My legs are falling asleep! Get off! Get off! Get off!" Tana pouted before Eirika and Vanessa helped her out by getting her back on her two feet and Tana went on to check the condition of her Pegasus. Storm and Kurai knelt down as the latter sighed.

"To think you take one for the team, and it knocked you out from your horse; and you could've caught her properly… what an eyesore…" Kurai scoffed.

"Wow, buddy. Your bad luck that involves crashes sure hasn't change much, huh?" Storm sweat dropped.

"Urisei…" I got out.

* * *

The journey continued on and I was carried back to the caravan because my legs were still asleep. Storm and Akira were moving my legs in circles so I can try and get feeling back in my legs. "Is he going to be okay?" Natasha asked concerned.

"According to Human Physics, Chapter 3.1," Lute began. "It is said the cause of numbness is from the lactic acid that was built up from the pain as it requires minimal mechanical movement in order to make it work once again." Lute told them.

"In English, please…" Mikoto complained rubbing her head from the explanation.

"With exercise, he'll be alright." Joshua translated while leading the caravan.

"Sucks to be _you_, huh?" Amber teased.

"But, if it wasn't for his crash, we wouldn't have met at the hospital, Amber. I can still remember that day. You were crying…" Storm countered with his casual tone, which made Amber look away with a slight blush.

"U–Urusei…" Amber muttered as Melissa–sempai giggled.

"Man and I thought Ryotaro Nogami had all the bad luck…" I groaned.

"I feel your pain, buddy…" Storm replied with a sweat drop.

"Yeah, me too…" Akira followed suit.

"What an eyesore…" Kurai muttered under his breath, scoffing.

*STOMP!*

"Iteeeeeeeee!"

"Kurai… have you forgotten about what we've discussed?" Melissa–sempai warned with her smile as only a few noticed her dark aura rise up from her back, causing Kurai, Amber and I to shudder.

"Che…" Kurai hissed as he rubbed his toe.

"Sometimes… I admire you, Melissa…" Natasha said to her, as Melissa-sempai looked at her with a confused look.

"Yes, you were able to calm down a situation with just a glance. What a miracle indeed…" Artur praised her.

"A cleric with a capability to fight… it is one of a kind indeed…" Lute added while flipping the next page of her book as Melissa–sempai waved it off having a slight blush.

"Please, everyone. I don't deserve those praises…" she tried to deny, as she has always been a modest person.

* * *

Finally, we've reached a town after a few days and having my legs have feeling again. From what Seth told me, this was a port town called Port Kiris. "Waa~! The sea looks beautiful! It really reminds me of back home!" Mikoto chirped as she looks at the horizon of endless blue sea from afar with a few boats and ships on it.

"There are some things that will _always_ stay the same, ne?" Akira asked.

"Yep! And that's just the way I like it, Akira–kun!" Mikoto told while looking at him with a big smile of hers, causing Akira to have a blush.

"If we can find passage across the North Sea, we will reach Rausten in 10 days." Seth explained to Eirika.

"It smells of the tides…" Eirika said as she looked around and saw many people come and go. "This is a busy place, isn't it?"

"It's a trade center. Peoples of all nations pass through here." Seth told her. "However, do not become so enthralled with the sights and sounds that you forget your mission."

"I won't." Eirika replied, shaking her head. "I'm a mercenary by the name of Erina. I'm traveling to Rausten to receive a commission."

"And I'll go by the name of Kira." I added.

"And all of us are traveling to Rausten to receive a commission." Eirika concluded as Seth gave a firm nod.

"Let us look for a ship then, Erina. The docks are this way." Seth said as he guided the rest of us, but all of the sudden, Eirika looked to her side as she spotted someone from afar.

"Something wrong, Erina?" I asked her.

"That woman over there? Isn't that…" she said Kurai also noticed the three familiar figures as well.

"Well, will you look at that? It's the three amigos… and I'm not referring to the wrestling move…" Kurai joked as the three approached towards our direction.

"Oh, these dainty sugar pastries!" The yellow-green haired woman cried out. "They're delightfully scrumptious! Flavorful without being overwhelming, refined without being banal…" The woman cooed.

"Gwah ha ha! Right you are, Lady L'Arachel!"

"You look familiar…" Eirika said trying to recall as L'Arachel suddenly perked up looking at Eirika.

"Oh! Aren't you–"

"We've met before, haven't we? You arrived with your companions when we encountered those creatures…" Eirika replied. "Your name is L'Arachel, is it not?"

"A wonder and pleasure that we should meet again so soon!" L'Arachel said happily. "It is providence!" she added as she looks at Kurai as well. "And Kurai as well?! My, such luck have brought upon us, right?"

"Ugh, you're the _last_ thing I want to encounter…" Kurai muttered under his face palm.

"Bad luck is the only thing the Divine has ever provided you!" the rogue tried to retaliate to L'Arachel.

"I agree with ya, Rennac… what can I say? She's just being her ditzy self…" Kurai deadpanned.

"Oh, and if you have not yet tried one, these pastries are also divine." L'Arachel said, holding one out for Eirika to see. "Would you care for one?"

"Uh, thank you…" Eirika said beginning take the offer until she realized something and stopped halfway. "No, wait… That's not why– We're actually on our way to the Theocracy of Rausten. We're rather in a rush and need to find passage on a ship…" she replied back as L'Arachel let out a sigh, which tells me something bad happened.

"Oh, dear. I'm afraid you'll find none to assist you. No ships are leaving port." L'Arachel informed us.

"Pardon?" Eirika blinked a few times.

"What's with that reply, L'Arachel? You didn't screw things up again, didn't you?" Kurai teased, making L'Arachel puff her cheeks at that comment.

"If you must know, Kurai! I didn't do anything silly at all!" L'Arachel replied back, causing the Berserker of her team to let out a laugh.

"Gwa ha ha! Lady L'Arachel always do what she does best, young man!" Dolza heartily laughed.

"If that's the case, Dolza…" Kurai replied while shifting back his attention to her. "What's the cause of it _this_ time?"

"You see, I find myself heading home once more to my beloved Rausten as well! And actually, I'm quite well known with the powers–that–be in Port Kiris. So I ordered them to ready the finest passenger vessel for me. But both merchants and passenger ships alike are too frightened to set sail. It seems a giant ghost ship has been sinking every ship it finds… Would that I could confront it, I could stop its foul villainy in a moment. Alas. It's such a shame."

"Riiiiiight…" I said raising an eyebrow at that.

"Yes, yes… Uh… That _is_ troublesome." Eirika pondered. "Still, I must get to Rausten _somehow_."

"You needn't worry too much. After all, if the sea is closed to you, simply follow the overland route!" L'Arachel assured her as she perked up with her idea.

"The overland route? I've heard that's a terribly roundabout path to travel." Eirika said concerned.

"Nah, don't worry about _her_. Any path she'll take, most of the monsters would end up running away from her… I'm sure of it…" Kurai joked, which L'Arachel flustered at.

"Oh, Kurai! You still haven't changed one bit since the day you've been following us!" She replied. "…but don't you _see_? The hardships of the road, they are truly blessings! They will toughen you and strengthen your resolve when you need to face great evil. For example, I have been tasked with a great trial in order to better myself." she said as she held her hand as if she was praying while looking down with a smile. "I understand my path, O unknowable forces of providence! I, your faithful servant L'Arachel, shall overcome! With faith and divine strength!" she declared, causing Rennac to have a bad feeling about it.

"Now, listen, L'Arachel!" Rennac began. "You might be thrilled about going the long way, but–"

"Come now, we're leaving." L'Arachel declared. "Dolza? Rennac? Don't fall behind!" She said as she began to trot her horse away.

"Gwah ha ha!" Dolza laughed. "Wait for us, Lady L'Arachel! Come on, Rennac! We run 'til we drop! The first one to collapse from exhaustion is the winner!"

"Help…" Rennac let out as Dolza ran off, "Why is this happening to me?" He asked before giving chase. Man, I feel _bad_ for the guy.

"It's a good thing I left that group… you have _no_ idea how bad it was to travel with her…" Kurai muttered.

"What makes you say _that_?" I asked as Eirika noticed something about it.

"Isn't Rausten in the other direction? Aren't they heading toward Frelia?" Eirika asked Kurai.

"That's because she has a bad sense of direction on foreign countries instead of her beloved Rausten, according to herself…" Kurai added.

"That bad huh?" I said to Kurai.

Kurai could only nod. "Even so, it's nothing you need concern yourself with, everyone. Our only concern now is to decide our next course of action." Seth explained. "An overland journey would be very long. However, it seems that may be our only choice at the moment…" he added.

"If we can't find any shortcut that will lead us directly to that country, then, it would be the only way to get there…" Akira said. "Just as long as we don't encounter any more of those Undead and monsters along the way…"

"I agree." Eirika sighed. "Whatever shall we do…?"

While we were thinking about it, we were approached by a man with green messy hair, with brownish yellow tattered armor, shirt and pants, brown boots and most of all; he wields a huge axe behind him. "…You're Eirika, the princess of Renais, ain't ya?" he asked her, causing a surprise look on her face.

"What?!" Eirika replied as I tried to cover for her.

"We're just mercenaries on the road to get our commission…" I tried to bargain, but he seemed to see through me with a smirk on his face.

"Nice try, lad, but those kinds of tricks won't work on me, Binks; as I can notice a princess from a mile away! And besides, it's pretty much clear that a mercenary _never_ wields such weapons like a rapier!" he deducted.

"Dastard!" Seth snapped. "Away with you!"

"No need to get personal!" The man chuckled, "You know, there's a pretty price on your pretty head. Sorry, but I need that gold." He said as a number of men began to swarm the area. "Bring her alive and that jewelry to me!"

"Great… So much for our cover…" I groaned.

"Well, it can't be helped… sooner or later we gotta have to face some trouble along the way…" Akira said as Tana rides her Pegasus next to me.

"Great! We got ourselves some trouble…" Tana complained.

"But for now, we can't leave this town due to the bounty on our heads… the only way to get out of this mess is to just get through with this stuff…" Storm said while looking at the anticipated mercenaries that were ready to take our heads off as Binks walked away from our view.

"Alright, we got work to do, let's do this!" I said taking out my card and buckle with the rest doing the same.

"Henshin!"

**TURN/OPEN UP**

**CHANGE**

As 7 projectiles of holograms shot out in front of us, it surprised the mercenaries before we started to run towards the hologram; thus donning in our armor, as well as putting our opponent in a defensive state. "Ikuze, minna! Let's show them why they can't mess with us!" I shouted as Garren had something else in mind.

"But, Blade, you can't just charge through the battle like you _always_ do! Look, there are some pirates on the sea too!" Garren pointed out, as his tactician skills are far better than mine. I noticed there were a few more pirates heading towards our direction.

"Well, we got our _own_ pirate for that. Ross, deal with them!" I said to him.

"You got it!" Ross said happily before heading towards the sea.

"Ne, big sis!" He said to Vanessa. "Mind tagging along with Ross? It's not that I don't believe in him or anything, but I think he can't handle this on his own with an overwhelming number of them…"

"Yes, I'll see what I can do. Come, Your Highness, he needs our help." Vanessa told her, as Tana gasped in shock.

"Eh?! B–But I wanna stick with _him_!" Tana childishly complained, pointing at me as Leangle stepped forward while taking out a card of her own.

"Now, now, princess. We should help him out as he is a part of our group." Leangle kindly explained before she roused a card on her Rouzer.

**FLOAT**

In an instant, a hologram of Float Dragonfly appeared and was absorbed into her armor, causing Tana to be surprised as she can fly without any wings at all. "Now, let's go help the boy now." she told them as the girls dispatched to their destination. At the same time, Garren patted Lance's shoulder, catching his attention as he extended the common card that he had on the other day, the Trial A card.

"Eh? Why are you giving me this, Garren?" Lance asked him.

"I was thinking… maybe big bro can use these common cards since us main riders can't use it at all…" Garren pondered. Lance took it from his hand and looks at it before he roused the card on his Lance Rouzer.

**TRIAL… A**

In an instant, his whole armor glowed radiantly and when it dimmed down, he– no, even _I_ was surprised to see something like this before… while he's still donned the same suit, the only difference was that his armor had some decoration with the insignia of a fox in silver, having horns mounted on his shoulder pads and most of all… he had a pair of silver butterfly wings on his back! "Whoa!" I gasped.

"Sugei na~!" Lance said happy as he has gained something that never happened in the Blade series before, neither in the story nor the movie. "That's it! From this point on, if there's any Trial card I've used, I would declare to be Missing Ace – A Form!"

"If that's the case, that means even _I_ can use it to!" Larc chirped before I caught their attention back.

"For now, we should take care of them…" I said pointing towards the direction of an angry mob heading towards our direction.

"I'm gonna soar the sky and take some of the pirates out on the sea!" Lance said before he flapped his wings and fluttered his way to where Ross and the Pegasus Knights had their battle.

"Yeah, let's take down some of them for now, big bro!" Garren said to me.

"If there's any Trial around here, I'll be sure to have it at my disposal!" Larc said ecstatic.

* * *

_Meanwhile, on the other side of the port…_

_A young girl, who had short blonde hair, brown eyes accompanied by a bright smile, wearing a smaller version of red plate armor with a white skirt, greyish long socks, shoes, and black fingerless gloves, was marching along with other soldiers towards the direction where the battle was held. The leader of the group began to give his speech. "Attention!" the leader yelled, causing the whole soldiers to straighten up from his command. "Carcino's mercenaries will arrest the princess of Renais shortly. Our duty here is nearly ended, and I expect no further hostilities. If you must fight, however, remember that the whole empire fights with you!" he told them, as the rest of the soldiers cheer as the girl began to ask him._

_"Um, Commander? What should I do?" she asked, catching the leader's attention._

_"Huh? Who are you?" he asked her as she lets out a salute to him._

_"Sir! I'm Amelia of Silva, sir! I'm new. I was only assigned to your command today. I wanted to fight for the Empire!"_

_"I don't need your life story, fool!" The man barked out, "Recruits are in front! Grab your lance and move!"_

_"Sir, yes sir!" The girl replied. 'This lance… Stab the enemy." She said to herself, nodding once. "I'm not afraid… I'm a citizen of Grado. It's my duty to fight. And I'll fight my best!"_

* * *

_Two figures entered the port as they heard the sound of battle happening in that area. One of the Undead which consists of a head that resembles a bull, its horns representing a magnet having multiple rings all over his body, spikes that shoot out from his left shoulder and half of the trench coat covered his right side. On both of the back of his hands, it consists of a sharp claw and he wears an enforced boots with multiple numbers of rings around it. This is the Buffalo Undead._

_"Did you hear that, comrade? That's our calling to terrorize the people as you can feed their energy, while I use their corpse as one of my minions… isn't it interesting?" another Undead said to him after it pats the Buffalo Undead's shoulder. It has a face that resembles a wolf that spreads outwards and a sharp set of teeth with a grin, have a spike rose all on the edges of its left side of his upper body and on the lower part of its body and a shoulder pad mounted on his right side, have a slight fur on his right arm, a chest armor that resembles a rib cage and finally it is fully equipped with sharp claws on its fingers. This was the Wolf Undead._

_"Should we enter the fray, comrade?" the Buffalo Undead asked._

_"Let's." The Wolf Undead said and they now unleashed their DarkRoaches._

* * *

"Take this!" one of the mercenaries yelled as he tried to slash his sword onto Gilliam's new reinforced armor, causing the blade to not only affect him with no injury at all, but also cause his blade to crack. "W–What?!"

Gilliam doesn't respond to the mercenary's panic as he twirls around his lance before lunging it forward, stabbing the enemy all the way to the back of his body, causing it to be a fatal kill before pulling it out and let the corpse slump on the ground. "Never underestimate the true strength of a general…" Gilliam reminded him before he shifted his attention to the next one.

As Garcia and Colm fend off with a few axe men, one of the mercenary's snipers took aim and released a shot, hitting Garcia's shoulder right on cue, causing him to grit in pain. The mercenary saw the opportunity for the kill as Colm was still busy from fighting with another axeman. As he tried to cleave down his axe onto the injured man, Glaive was able to intercept and block the attack entirely before she managed to push him back and deliver an uppercut with her Rouzer in hand letting out a gush of red blood from his chest before he slumped down and stay motionless.

"Mr. Garcia! Are you okay?!" Glaive asked slightly panicked as Garcia snaps the arrow off from his shoulder and slowly tried to pull out the head from his shoulder.

"Y–Yes, I'm fine. Don't worry about me…" Garcia assured her before Moulder came to his direction and noticed the wound on it as he started to heal him. At the same time, as the sniper wanted to take aim again onto the healer, it was him to get shot by an arrow on the head instead, courtesy of Neimi's shot on a horse.

"Nice work, Neimi!" Colm praised her, as she smiled and gave him a nod.

**SLASH**

With the power of Slash Lizard, I was able to cut down many of their axes in hand before letting Kyle, Forde and Seth swing down their swords on them, taking them out in an instant. Without warning, a few slashes were felt on my back. When I turned around, I noticed a swordsman giving me a downward slash, followed by a thunder crash down on me from a mage, causing me to tumble down while leaving smoke on my armor.

**BULLET**

I heard the announcement nearby as gunshots were heard and put a few holes on his body before he collapsed on the ground and Garren ran straight ahead as he continued to shoot what's in front of him. Chalice casually walked towards where I landed before giving me a scoff. "Hmph, you're losing sight of your focus just because of that 'nightmare' of yours and becoming a bit distant than normal, Blade… what an eyesore…" he said before he took out a card from his side deck and roused it onto his Rouzer on his Arrow.

**TORNADO**

"If I were you, I would simply let that stupid nightmare of mine go, to not let it affect my focus… you truly are an eyesore on my view…" he said harshly before he lets down a downward cut, causing a gust of wind to take down a few soldiers in line to be dispersed in an instant.

"Geez, cousin! Stop mocking him already! Not everyone's perfect, y'know?" Larc told him before she roused a card on her Rouzer.

**MIGHTY**

"Besides, the only one that can tease him about his heart's desire is yours truly!" Larc said before she unleashed a few shots onto the mage out from our range.

"No… he's right…" I said. "As much as an arrogant jerk your cousin is, he's right. I can't let this nightmare get to me."

"Blade…" Larc said worriedly before she flicked my helmet.

"Hey, what gives?!" I complained while I rubbed my helmet's forehead.

"You just need a wake–up call! Look, there's no point if you keep worrying about your nightmare, just leave it behind and focus on now, silly!' Larc giggled trying to cheer me up, despite the situation we're in right now.

"I guess… thanks Larc." I smiled under my mask.

Larc giggled before she held her Rouzer tightly. "C'mon! We got some more bad guys to wipe out!" she said before both of us began to head out onto the battlefield.

* * *

**STAB**

**BLIZZARD**

_As Leangle got used to the weapon, she came up with a solution using the said cards. As she absorbed the Blizzard Polar and Stab Bee into her armor, a gust of chilly wind suddenly blew towards the pirate's direction as Lance managed to get Ross out of range so the whole place was covered in frost, the sea turning into a giant chunk of ice. At the same time, the remaining unlucky pirates on the sea were trapped and frozen solid, turning them into sittings duck as Lance puts down Ross on the slippery ice._

_"Nice thinking, Melissa! This way, we don't have much trouble about these guys throwing their axes on us!" Tana praised her._

_"Oh, please… it was just a thought about using these cards to the fullest, that's all…" Leangle told her before Vanessa dived down with her Pegasus and pierced her lance through the solid man, causing it to be shattered in an instant. Tana, Leangle and Ross joined in and took down the rest of the pirates with a swing of Ross's dual axe, a thrust from Tana's lance and multiple rapid stabs from Leangle. Lance spotted something from afar before he turned to where Blade is and shouted something to him._

* * *

"Oi~! Incoming 'mail' at 2 o'clock!" I heard Lance shout from the sky as I looked to the direction and Joshua took a few steps back, while the rest of the soldiers were confused. From out of nowhere, the DarkRoaches swarmed in and began to terrorize the whole place in an instant.

"Sister, please stay back!" Artur told Natasha who was healing Lute as Joshua joined them.

"Great, we got Undead around here somewhere. Everyone find the Undead!" I shouted as I took out my Rouze Absorber and equipped it onto my left arm. Need to find those Undead fast. I can get better view from the air. I took the two cards and did the sequence.

**ABSORB QUEEN**

I then slid the Fusion Eagle through the card reader.

**FUSION JACK**

The Fusion Eagle plaque covered the Absorber and I soon went into Jack Form. "Alright then, time to play hide and seek where I'm the seeker." I said as I flew up high in the sky scanning the port area to where the Undead were. "Alright Undead, where are ya?" I asked myself. After a while I found one. This one was the Buffalo Undead, Eight of Spades and… Uh–oh, that Undead's about to hurt that girl! Not on my watch!

"W–What _is_ that thing?!" the girl cried out as she took a few steps back while pointing her lance towards the Undead, much to its likings.

"Yes, struggle more… it would only makes it better for me to savor your life!" the Undead said before it let out a roar, causing the girl to be slowly pulled towards his direction. Much to her surprise, his roar didn't attract any object, other than her and some of the corpses lying around.

"E–Eh?! What kind of sorcery _is_ this?! Why am I being pulled?!" she asked herself as she was being forced towards its direction. It was only meters away before it could get its hand on her, but with the interception from my blade, it suddenly canceled off and the said girl was being rescued by Franz, catching her off guard. "Eh?!"

"Are you one of the locals?" Franz asked her, leading her to more confusion. "This is a dangerous spot. You should hide. Here, come with me." he convinced her.

"But… But I'm…" the girl stuttered.

"What is it?" Franz asked.

"May I know who I'm talking to?" she asked.

"I'm Franz, a Knight of Renais. What's _your_ name? What are you _doing_ here?" he asked her.

"I–I'm Amelia. I'm… Actually, I'm a Grado soldier. I'm supposed to be fighting you." she told her as total silence accompanied them.

"Really?" Franz blinked scratching the back of his head. "So, uh, you're my enemy?"

"…I guess…" she muttered before she realized something. "Are you… Are you going to make me your prisoner?!" she exclaimed, causing Franz to panic a bit.

"_Imprison_ you? Why would I do that to someone like _you_?" Franz asked incredulously.

"Because I hear that Princess Eirika takes prisoners." Amelia told him. "I heard she's a ruthless, cold–"

"Hold on, hold on, those are completely false accusations." Franz said immediately waving it off. "I don't know what Grado soldiers have been telling you, but Princess Eirika is _clearly_ not of those things, I assure you."

"Hey! Franz! A little help here would be nice!" I urged trying to hold off the Buffalo Undead

Franz noticed as he puts Amelia down and turned his horse around. "Please forgive me, but for now, we should clear up the mess from these Undead…" Franz decided before he rode off towards my direction with a sword in hand, slashing it to force it back before reinforcements arrived. Kyle and Forde threw their javelin onto it.

"That's the most hideous fiend I've ever witnessed…" Kyle said displeased.

"You took the words right out of my mouth…" Forde agreed.

"I'm not going back into that card, Blade!" The Buffalo Undead yelled. "You'll _never_ take me alive!"

"I can and I will!" I said as I roused two cards.

**SLASH**

**THUNDER**

The holograms of Slash Lizard and Thunder Deer appeared behind and went into my Rouzer as I flew towards the Undead, the Rouzer announcing,

**LIGHTNING SLASH**

The wings behind my back spread wide open as I soared the sky once again. Flying passed him, it continued to looked up at me as the distraction was enough to let Kyle, Forde and Franz deliver another cut on its back with their blades, causing sparks to be created before I immediately descend down and slashed with my shocking Rouzer onto the Undead in half, causing the explosion to occur and at the same time, the DarkRoaches that it commanded disappeared in an instant.

"Looks like we've manage to defeat the fiend…" Kyle remarked.

"But… why is it still burning and all in one piece?" Forde asked with interest.

"They're called Undead for a reason. They can't die." I told them as I took out a Proper Blank and threw it at the Buffalo Undead, sealing it up before the card went back to me and I caught it.

* * *

_After the battle, as the DarkRoaches suddenly disappeared, Larc, Garren, Chalice, Eirika, Joshua, Artur, Lute and Natasha let out a sigh as they took this time for a little breather. "Well, that's the last of that…" Joshua said as Gilliam and Neimi entered the fray._

_"Yes, it looks like Kurogasa and his group may have sealed an Undead up…" Gilliam added._

_"I–Is everybody okay?" Neimi asked them as the rest gave her a smile of assurance._

_"Yeah, don't worry about Colm and Ross. Mikoto took care of them by bringing along Father Moulder to heal them up." Garren informed her._

_"It may have attacked the rest of the Grado soldiers without warning, but at least the damage it done around here has been minimized…" Seth informed as he approached towards them, along with Amelia next to him._

_"Eh? Who's the girl?" Larc asked him as Amelia approached the group._

_"Are you from around here? You should find someplace to hide as it is still not safe…" Eirika told her._

_"But… But I'm…" Amelia stuttered before Chalice lost his patience._

_"Out with it!" he exclaimed, causing the girl to straightened up._

_"I'm a Grado soldier. I'm here to stop the princess of Renais…" she told them. Silence once again surrounded the whole area._

_"Uh huh… right…" Larc said._

_"You're with Grado?" Eirika asked her._

_"A–And you're Princess Eirika? But the commander said Eirika's a cruel and merciless fiend…" she told her as Eirika was in a bit of disbelief._

_"Okay, _clearly_ you've gotten your facts wrong." Larc said crossing her arms. "Princess Eirika is no merciless fiend; she wouldn't even hurt a _fly_."_

_"R–Really?" Amelia asked, as the rest nodded in agreement._

_"Yep, what she said…" Joshua told her._

_"I'm from Grado as well and she saved me from the danger that I had with a friend of mine, young lady." Natasha assured Amelia as the latter started having doubts about what the soldiers from Grado stated earlier._

_"…I don't know what Grado's officers have been telling you, but… Our two countries are at war, so I suppose they can say what they want." Eirika replied softly. Amelia noticed her smile is as pure as white. It was then she decided to do one thing she knew best._

_"…Mistress Eirika… I, uh, I surrender. I won't fight you." Amelia said as she puts away her lance._

_"Huh?" Eirika asked confused._

_"I became a soldier because I admired General Duessel's sense of honor. But the generals have been very opposed to this war from the beginning… And now I see you, and you look so sad about all of this. I don't know what's _right_ anymore," she was clearly hurt from it as she looked down. "I'm just a soldier, but I want to decide for myself. I want to understand the truth myself, to see it with my own eyes." she said looking at them with determination._

_"…Well said." Chalice said._

_"Incoming!" Garren yelled._

_The group noticed the Wolf Undead makes a mad dash towards their direction. Everyone dodges to the side as Eirika helped Amelia by doing the same thing before the Undead turned around and at the middle of corpses of Grado soldiers lying around the area._

_"T–Thank you!" Amelia thanked._

_"Think nothing of it… and I haven't heard your name yet…" Eirika said._

_"I am Amelia of Silva!" she told them._

_"Welcome to the pack then…" Chalice told her as Larc stepped forward._

_"With just one of it, we can take him down with ease!" Larc said confident, but Garren noticed something was off…_

_"No… we're not alone…" Garren pointed out, as the rest look at him while the Wolf Undead chuckled._

_"You are correct, Garren… I am not alone… I have friends to play along with you!" it replied as it slowly let out an aura from its body and sent it towards the corpses. One by one, they slowly stood up and from once a human appearance, now replaced with a vicious wolf appearance, wielding their lances and swords together._

_"T–That thing revived the fallen soldiers and they… mutated!" Amelia stuttered getting scared._

_"Such horror I've witnessed…" Artur said in disbelief._

_"And yet, they suffered even further with this fiend's black magic…" Natasha implied._

_"Truth be told, it is quite interesting, really; as this magic reminds me of Darkness's Pulse of a Shaman, page 66: The Resurrection of the Dead." Lute told them._

_"Save your lessons for later, we gotta take out that Undead!" Chalice snapped as he roused some cards._

**CHOP**

**TORNADO**

_"Don't forget me!" Larc said rousing her card._

**MIGHTY**

_"And me too!" He said as he equipped on his Rouze Absorber and did the sequence._

**ABSORB****QUEEN**

_He then slid the Fusion Peacock over the card reader._

**FUSION****JACK**

_The Fusion Peacock plaque appeared over the Queen card and Garren assumed his Jack Form. He then took three more cards and roused them._

**BULLET**

**RAPID**

**FIRE**

_"Let's take down these fiends!" Joshua said happily._

_"Yes, let us put them in peace!" Artur said determined before the rest of them charged forward, leaving some room for the three riders to commence their finishers, while Amelia witnessed the true strength of the Riders firsthand as she saw holograms projected from their Rouzers earlier._

_"Grr… I'll have your heads off for my meal!" the Wolf Undead declared before it dashed straight towards Chalice as he got into a stance while swirls of wind covered his body._

**SPINNING****WAVE**

_"Get out of my sight!" Chalice declared before delivering a devastating chop onto the Wolf Undead as it tried to pounce towards his direction but backfired in an instant. Garren took aim at the sky while Larc _also_ took aim from her position and Garren's holograms entered into his armor to perform a move._

**BURNING****SHOT**

_"Take this!" both of them shouted in unison as they shot multiple volleys of fireballs onto the unprepared Undead all the way back to a wall. Eventually when the shooting stopped, the Undead exploded on impact as the corpses laid back on the ground, motionlessly._

_"You're finished… Chalice muttered coldly before taking out a Proper Blank and sealed the Undead._

* * *

Everyone soon met up at a dock where Binks was waiting for us. "Alright Binks, the game's over! You lost!" I shouted.

Binks was impressed as he looked at us and the group. "Nope, _you're_ the one that lost! You see, while you're all busy with fighting with some monsters and such, I managed to let loose, all the sails. Most of them are now at sea with no one guiding the ships…" Binks laughed.

"Crud…" I muttered. So much for getting to Rausten by sea.

Chalice was at his limits as he suddenly dashed forward with his Arrow in hand as he tried to cleave him in half… only to be stopped by a man in a formal business suit… wait, what?! "Nani?!" Chalice asked, surprised to see his attack blocked by that man with his own dagger in hand as he sets his glare on Chalice.

"I will not let you harm him as it is one of my priorities… Rider." the man in the suit said before he parried it off and delivered a diagonal slash, followed by a back kick, causing Chalice to stumble a few steps back.

"Hah! With his presence, I have _nothing_ to fear of, not to mention I'm getting my 5000 gold for your heads…" Binks mocked as the man in suit looked at us with a stern face. "I don't know why he's helping me out in the first place, but after seeing what's he truly capable of and demanded to protect me at any cost free of charge, how can I _decline_ that kind of offer?"

While Binks muttered to himself, Garren seemed to be processing the data for a moment as Gilliam looked at him confused. "Something bothering you, lad?"

"Somehow… that lines he said was really familiar…" Garren said as Lance also began to brainstorm too… no pun intended.

"Yeah… but, where did we hear it before?" Storm asked.

I was thinking about it too. It sounded really familiar. Think, Kurogasa, think! Where have you heard that line before? It was then I realized it when I widened my eyes and got a better look at the man. "Sonna bakana! Hirose?!"

"Eh?! Hirose?!" Garren and Lance shouted in unison before the man in suit chuckled.

"That is correct… but, that's my true _originator's_ name…" he said. "Ever since coming to this world, I've been looking for a purpose in life… a purpose to protect someone… and then…"

"By pure accident, he found _me_ of all people! Sure, I was scared out of my wits from his true appearance, but when he said he'll be serving me, heh… you know what happened next, right?" Binks said as Hirose finally revealed its true colors consisting of a white skull with black linings that resembled a brain of some sort and a pair of fangs. Its fully black bodysuit had a pair of blades that mounted on his shoulders, wrists, thighs, and greaves. It also had white plate on its chest and a chain of some sort wrapped around his left wrist. This is Trial B: An Electric Type Undead with one purpose and one purpose only… to protect its owner from harm.

"Now then, Trial! Put them out of their misery and give me their heads, but leave the princesses alone as I have my _own_ plans with them…" Binks chuckled as the Trial Undead slowly walked towards us.

"Blech! That creep really is rotten to the core!" Tana said displeased.

"Agreed." Eirika told her friend. Somehow, those words from his mouth triggered my nightmare again as I feared for the worst to happen in reality.

I felt a nudge from Lance as he elbowed me on the side to get my bearings back to reality. "Hey, let's show this guy why he can't mess with us in the first place."

"Yeah! We gotta make sure we put it out of its misery for good, for _your_ sake, Blade!" Glaive pointed out, as Eirika heard from what she just said earlier.

"The sake of what?" Eirika asked.

"I–It's nothing." I got out. "C'mon Riders, let's go!" And with that, all of us charged at the Trial B Undead.

Amelia wanted to lend a hand, but Seth blocked her path, confusing her. "Let them be… this battle is for them and them _only_…" Seth told her as Eirika got concerned more than usual.

"Kurogasa… what is it that you've been hiding to yourself?" she muttered under her breath.

"C'mon, Kurogasa! Kick that thing's butt!" Tana cheered for me.

The Trial was fast, no doubt about that. And let's not forget the offense and defense is also top–notch as it managed to parry every single blow that we gave it. Binks could only laugh at us while he seemed to be entertained watching the battle in front of him. "What a show! What a show!" Binks said with his big smile as Garren pointed the gun. It was at not the Undead, but onto Binks instead. From the looks of it, it looked like he had a plan. As expected from our Rider's Tactician…

"No! I will not let you harm him!" the Undead yelled out as it dashed forward and tried to stop his advance by pushing him aside.

Garren rolled around a few times before getting onto his feet. "Big bro, sis! Aim for Binks! That's his weak spot! The one he must protect is the one he's most vulnerable at!"

"Right! I'll take care of this though; you guys keep the Undead busy! And Larc, just as a warning, you might wanna get out of the area now because I'm gonna take Binks to the sky and it's gonna be raining blood!"

"Eh?!" Larc asked a bit surprised before she got hit by a tackle from the Trial as Leangle immediately roused a card on her Rouzer. The same goes for Chalice as he roused a card while Lance got to Larc to check on her condition.

**BLIZZARD**

**BIO**

In an instant, both holograms appeared and it absorbed into their armor. All of the sudden, vines started to sprout out from where the Trial was standing, before it completely wrapped it, binding it in its place before it was accompanied by a chill of wind that froze it in its place. "Hah, you want to get me? Come and get it!" Binks challenged me as he picked up his battle axe and wanted to swing at me, but due to my speed from Jack Form, I was able to tackle him high even before he could swing down his axe and took him for a ride to the sky. "O–oi! Let me down!"

"Sorry, not happening." I said as I roused a card.

**MAGNET**

The hologram of the Magnet Buffalo went in the Rouzer and fired an orb of magnetism in the sky. It stayed there until I got Binks in it and Binks floated around in the magnet orb just like in Kingdom Hearts 2. And then… the bloodbath began.

* * *

_"For those who don't like to see some blood festival, please turn away right now…" Glaive reminded them in a cheery tone like a flight attendant as Larc's face immediately planted on Lance's chest, causing her to have a blush under the helmet._

_"Daijobu, I'll make sure you won't get scared again…" Lance assured her._

_"I feel safe already… with _you_ around…" Larc muttered quietly as she let his arm wrapped around her for comfort and the blush under the helmet become more obvious._

_"May the man up there be ended in a good way…" Artur said as he finished the Last Rite for Binks._

_"I agree… but at the same time, I'm curious about the Undead's power… and I got to see it firsthand…" Lute said as the trapped Undead shook the barrier it had been placed on as cracks started to appear on it._

_"Whatever he tried to do, this thing would be too late to stop it from happening…" Chalice scoffed as the rest just watches the view at the sky. And then at that point, red raindrops started to fall. It was then some of the girls noticed they're going to be covered in red sooner or later, _especially_ Natasha, due to her cleric dress all white. Also, since _Artur_ also donned in white clothing, it's no _wonder_ he began to make a move._

_"Wah! I don't want to be covered in blood!" Tana cried out as she immediately rushed towards a safe area where red droplets is out of their reach; followed by the rest and eventually the Riders. Natasha was _also_ trying to avoid getting her dress dirtied by blood but due to her slow pace, Joshua covered her body by lending her his trench coat, which surprised her for a moment as her headdress was also being put down to avoid it from getting dirty as well._

_"T–Thank you, Joshua…" Natasha thanked him._

_"Think nothing of it. It would look bad on you if your dress was covered in red… besides, white _does_ look good on you." Joshua said as he grabbed her hand and both of them ran together to safety, causing her to have a blush. Leangle noticed it and the only thing she can do is have a smile behind her helmet. After a while it stopped and a figure descended down from the sky. It was Blade. He landed on the ground, but then suddenly dropped to his knees and hand as his transformation cancelled out. He look… terrified._

_"Kurogasa!" Eirika gasped as she ran up to him. "What happened?" Kurogasa looked up to her and she gasped when she saw his eyes full of horror. He slowly got up not saying anything at first walking shakily to Moulder._

_"F–Father Moulder…" Kurogasa got out his voice all shaky, heck it almost sounded _desperate_. "W–We need to go somewhere private. I–I think exercising the Sacrament of Penance is in order."_

_Father Moulder had a worried look when he saw Kurogasa's expression before he lets out a nod. "Very well…" he said while looking at everyone else. "Everyone, please remain calm as the boy has something to say to me… and it will be a private matter…" he told them as some of them nodded, while the riders and princesses seemed worried for him as both of them head towards the nearest church._

_"Kurogasa…" Eirika murmured. _

_"I wonder what's wrong with him." Tana said concerned as the Riders just kept quiet._

_"From the looks of it, it seemed like something must've bothered him…" Melissa said to herself. "I hope everything would be alright…"_

* * *

Father Moulder and I went to the nearest church in Port Kiris. And I confessed everything to him. Normally, this is confidential between Priest and penitent, but what I _can_ tell you is that something made me not myself. As if I was some… untamed beast. After telling him everything, Father Moulder, doing his dutiful role as Priest gave me absolution and forgave me of my sins. The two of us then walked out of the church after. I felt mostly better, but it was still bothering me. "Are you okay now?" Father Moulder asked me as we walked back to the group.

"Well, a little, I guess… but at least I managed to calm myself down." I told him heaving a sigh.

"I see… no wonder the raindrops occurred… and I thought you wouldn't do something merciless…" Father Moulder said. "Listen, young man. I've listened to countless confessions from other people in my entire life and according to my experience, you might have went through a traumatic nightmare from that man you've told me about… the dreams that projected into your mind caused you to do this kind of action, as if you have some kind of bloodlust. The only way to cure this disease is to confront it and be mentally prepared for it. Because once you face it, your actions will be affected your decision… For the time being, I suggest you clear your thoughts on this matter so the light can guide you on the right path…"

"I will… thank you Father Moulder." I thanked.

He nodded as we continued to walk forward. "Should you have that feeling again, be sure to tell to someone that you trust most, alright?"

"I will." I said. Before long, we were back with the group.

"Kurogasaaaaa~!" Oh boy…

"OOF!"

Tana was the first one to run towards me as she tackled me to the ground rubbing her cheeks on my chest, much to my embarrassment as Eirika slightly panicked as she approached to Moulder.

"Father Moulder, what seems to be bothering Kurogasa?" Eirika asked him, as Moulder just let out a smile on his face.

"It's nothing much. It was just a confession about going overboard earlier today…" Moulder told her, leading her to sigh in relief.

"I'm so~~ worried about you!" Tana said as she continues to rub her face on my chest, as I felt my hormones starting to act up again…

"Tana! Please, get off of him!" Eirika cried out as Tana pushed herself up and pouted.

"Why? He doesn't seem to complain about it, right, Kurogasa?" Tana asked as she looked at me with her pretty eyes. Eirika look worried and felt jealous at the same time… I wonder why?

I soon got up from the ground. "I'm sorry to have worried you guys. I'm alright now." I smiled sadly.

"I'm glad to hear that…" Eirika told me as I noticed at the far corner of the port, a surviving mercenary and both Seth and Kurai is playing good cop, bad cop on that culprit.

"W–Wait! I give up! I don't want to fight anymore! We were just doing a job." the mercenary said as he puts down his ax to admit defeat.

"That was easy…" Kurai scoffed.

"Who hired you?" Seth asked him.

"I may be nothing but a hired blade, but I have my honor. I won't say a word." the man said firmly.

"I admire your professionalism. I guess we have no use for you." Seth implied as Kurai looked happy.

"Well now… what should I do with you?" Kurai said sinisterly voice as he pulled out two cards from his side deck and began to threaten him since he's playing bad cop. "Should I 'chop' you in half with my blade or should I 'drill' a hole in your stomach?"

"Wow, I've never seen him so… evil before…" Colm shuddered.

"Don't ask me… this is just one of his drills to get information. He even does the same thing back at home at a student, just to fight those bullies who did it to his junior…" I explained.

"No, wait! I'll talk! Carcino! It was Pablo of the Carcino Council of Elders!" he admitted.

"Councilman Pablo?" Seth asked.

"That doesn't make sense!" Eirika exclaimed. "Carcino and Frelia are _allies_. Why would they _target_ me?"

"I don't know…" The mercenary said, hands in the air. "Could be they've decided Grado's going to win. They want to be on the winning side. Some of the others opposed Pablo, but I heard he had 'em silenced but quick. That's all I know, I swear it."

It was then that Seth put his sword back to his sheath while Kurai folded his arrow and puts it on his back. "I believe you. Go." Seth told him and that was all the mercenary needed to her and did so running.

"And don't even let me see your face again!" Kurai shouted as the man continued to run away.

I then suddenly remembered the Trial Undead as I shifted my attention to Akira. "Akira, what happened to the Undead?! I almost forgot about it!"

"Oh, don't worry; big bro. That thing has been settled already…" Akira assured me.

"Yeah, right after that blood festival, it managed to destroy the trap we made and due to its goal of protecting its master has failed. It voluntarily let us seal him without a hassle." Storm told me.

"I guess that Trial really stays loyal to its master…" I muttered before Kurai and Seth went towards our direction.

"Kids, we got bad news…" Kurai spoke.

"What of bad news you're referring to?" Kyle asked.

"We were careless. We should have seen this coming." Seth told us. "Carcino's a young and ambitious nation ruled by power–hungry merchants. And Grado grows more powerful with every passing day. So it's no surprise Carcino's merchant lords would throw in with Grado now." he added.

"Wait!" Eirika cried out. "Prince Innes… Prince Innes was to pass through Carcino on his way to Jehanna… If Carcino has _betrayed_ us…"

"Then he's in big trouble…" I muttered.

"No kidding, Sherlock…" Kurai muttered out as Forde noticed something from the sky.

"Oh, Princess Tana, I think someone's looking for you…" Forde joked as he pointed at another Pegasus Knight at the sky and landed right in front of us. Tana quickly hid behind m… as if she doesn't want to get caught and brought back to the castle.

"Princess Eirika! I bring dire tidings!" the messenger said in an urgently.

"I know you… You were a messenger riding with Prince Innes." Eirika recalled as the messenger nodded in agreement.

"Yes, and I have news of him. Prince Innes is in danger!" the messenger told us. Some of us that haven't been informed yet were surprised as some of us already figured it out. "Carcino's merchant army struck and cut through half our men. The prince is trapped in a siege." she added, causing Tana to be worried all of a sudden.

"Brother…" Tana whimpered.

"He has no means of escape, and–"

"No more!" Eirika intervened. "I understand. Return to Frelia and deliver your message!" she commanded.

"What of Prince Innes?" The messenger asked.

"Leave him to us." Eirika declared. "The prince's troubles should burden you no more. We will see him to safety." She said as the knight nodded, before guiding her horse to fly once more.

Tana went out from her hiding as she let out a sigh of relief. "Thank goodness she wasn't here to bring me back to the castle. You have _no_ idea how boring it is to just stay there and do nothing!"

"Yeah… but for now, we better save your brother as he is in peril…" I told her as she immediately nodded and gets on her Pegasus in a quick manner. Wow, she sure knows her way of mounting her horse…

* * *

_Just as everyone was going back to the caravan, Kurai spotted Rennac as he was calling him at a nearby house. He let out a sigh and walked towards Rennac's direction. "Oh, it's one of the three amigos…" Kurai acknowledged._

_"Amigos?" Rennac asked confused._

_"Never mind… so, what's with you hiding anyways?" Kurai asked him. _

_Rennac got closer to him and whispered, "Have Lady L'Arachel and her man, Sir Stubble–chin, gone yet?"_

_"Oh, _those_ two amigos? We haven't seen them since the battle, so yeah, they've gone somewhere…" Kurai told him._

_Rennac let out a sigh of relief before he stepped out from the house. "Whew… I'm finally free! No more getting bossed around by that witless ninny!"_

_"Yeah, I understand how you feel, man…" Kurai added._

_"Well, as a token of gratitude, I want to give this to you since I'm free again…" Rennac said as he handed him a robe but not just any robe… it's one of the softest robe he ever held, dubbed as an Angelic Robe._

_"What am I supposed to do with _this_?" Kurai tried to ask, but Rennac was nowhere in sight right after he gave it to him. Kurai just shrugged before went back to the carriage._

* * *

And there you have it people, three more Undead sealed! Hope everyone liked it! So review!

**Spades:** A, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, **8**, 9, 10, J, Q  
**Diamonds:** A, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10, J, Q  
**Hearts:** A, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, **J**, Q  
**Clubs:** A, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 10, J  
**Trial:** A, **B**


	13. Chapter 10: Revolt at Carcino

Okay guys, it's time for another chapter of Kamen Rider Blade: The Sacred Stones!

Disclaimer: Same thing.

* * *

Chapter 10: Revolt at Carcino

As much as we could've helped burn the Grado soldiers' bodies, we had to get going quick, because Prince Innes is in trouble. After quickly resupplying for the caravan, we went on our way to Carcino. For the past few days, the road's been really bumpy true to Eirika's words. I just hope we can get to Innes in time despite the conditions. "Brother, I hope you're alright…" Tana said worried tone as we continued our journey there. Eirika rode next to her.

"Don't worry, Tana. I'm sure your brother would be alright. You know your brother isn't the type of person to fall onto the enemies' hands." Eirika encouraged.

"That's right, Your Highness. With his brilliant mind, I'm sure he'll be able to survive for quite a long time…" Vanessa also encouraged her as Tana looked down for a moment before she perked up in an instant.

"You're right! My brother is just too stubborn to admit defeat to those Grado's army!" Tana said happily before she clung onto my arm, to my surprise. Even on a _horse_ ride, she got no problem doing it… "Besides, we still have Kurogasa to help him out, right?"

"Uh… yeah…" I got out laughing sheepishly. I looked to Eirika and I'm seeing that she's looking pretty jealous, making me sweat drop.

"I–In any case, we better make haste of our destination!" Eirika told us slightly angry before she rode off as the Knights of Renais followed suit to catch up with her, with Tana looking on with a confused look.

"Eirika?" she blinked while still clinging on my arm. "I wonder why she's a bit angry."

"I think I have a pretty good idea why." Amber said mischievously. Ugh… and as always, Amber's timing when it comes to teasing is as bad as ever…

"Yeah… I guess so…" Storm agreed. Since both of them rode on the same horse he let out a few chuckles of his own.

"For the time being, we better make haste! Her brother might be in trouble, after all!" Amber said as we and the caravan began to make way towards our destination; and I just hope things aren't taking turn for the worse…

* * *

_At Grado Keep, Glen kneeled down before Emperor Vigarde as he was summoned by him at the Throne Room. "General Glen of the Grado Imperial Army, also known as the Sunstone…" Vigarde spoke._

_"Yes…"_

_"Your orders. Capture the leader of the rebel army in Carcino. Capture Eirika." Vigarde commanded. Glen looked at him surprised and in disbelief._

_"Eirika… Do you mean the princess of Renais?" Glen asked him, which the king nodded._

_"Eirika invaded Carcino. She massacred the citizens of Port Kiris. Then, she fled south. Glen. Go. Crush the rebels who brought ruin to Carcino."_

_"…Understood, sire." Glen replied before turning around and leaving the throne room. Walking in the hallway, he saw his brother Cormag leaned against one of the hall's stone walls._

_"What did the Emperor say, Brother?" Cormag asked._

_"I've been ordered to kill the princess of Renais." Glen replied. "Cormag, I want you to remain here in the capital. I'll go alone."_

_"If that's what you want, Brother, so be it." Cormag replied as he got off the wall. "But you seem troubled… Don't tell me you're concerned about fighting the princess of a ruined land!"_

_"…Hm… I never was able to slip anything past you, little brother. You're right. This duty falls heavily on my shoulder, more than any other."_

_"Tell me, Brother, do you know this princess?"_

_"Yes. When Renais and Grado were still close…" Glen recalled. "I met the girl– I met Eirika only once. We spoke briefly, but I felt she was a woman of great kindness. I cannot bring myself to believe Princess Eirika is evil. I cannot."_

_"…Glen." His brother began. "The Emperor has ordered–"_

_"There's the rub, Cormag." Glen pointed out. "That's it exactly. His Majesty has never spoken a falsehood in all the time I've served him. And as a servant of the Empire, I am duty bound to obey his order. But I can see no reason to think Princess Eirika's heart is any less gentle now." As Glen tried to consider the mission he's received and the situation he discussed with his brother, Valter waltzed towards them with a smug look on his face._

_"What are these cowardly mutterings?" he stated with such mockery towards the brothers, making Cormag flinch. "It is because you three Generals are weak that we others must work so hard. And yet you get the honor of killing the girl. How I long to do your duty for you!" Valter expressed, leaving Glen to clench his fist tightly as he can't take the mockery of a princess from the man who desired her to be his puppet bride._

_"Rrrr! Valter, you treacherous swine…" Glen growled at him, as Valter was amused._

_"What's this? Is this how you speak toward your peer knights of the realm?" Valter continued to mock. "Lest you've forgotten, I, too, am a general– the same rank as you!"_

_"You wretch!" Glen said angrily. "You were cast out from the army for mistreating civilians. What lies have you told to receive pardon and reinstatement at the same time?!"_

_"Our beloved Emperor felt my skills were needed, and his word is law." Valter told them. "His Majesty has earned my sincerest and most undying gratitude. And then we have you three. Duessel, Selena, and you…" Valter continued as both brothers tried to hold their temper in. "The three of you have proven to be unreliable time and time again. We were brought in to plug the holes, don't you see? You ought to thank me, Glen!" Valter impressed himself, causing Glen nearly explode his anger on him but Cormag stepped forward and glare at Valter angrily._

_"Valter!" Cormag bellowed, "If you dare insult my brother further…"_

_"Come now, Cormag." Valter said, waving a hand. 'What would you do to me if I did? Would you fight me? Here? Would you show such disloyalty to the emperor?" He mocked._

_"Peace, Cormag." Glen said through clenched teeth. "We are His Majesty's men. We will honor his commands. Mark my words, Valter: your crimes are neither forgotten nor forgiven." And with that the brothers left._

_"Hmph…" Valter smirked._

* * *

_Meanwhile, inside a fortress, Innes was with his mercenaries which consists of a dancer with long red hair and a mercenary with green hair tied with a bandanna on his head, having a scar running above the bridge of his nose and at the lower part of his left jaw, wearing black sleeveless tight suit with a shoulder pad mounted on his right shoulder, white pants with brown belt wrapped around him and brown boots. As he wrapped his left hand in bandage, he wears his fingerless glove on the other hand as he wields his sword. "Prince Innes. What do you say? Can you continue?"_

_"Yes, of course." Innes replied before he released another arrow onto the enemy at the window. "Do you believe this is enough to make me give up? I'm surprised you mercenaries haven't turned and fled, though."_

_"Naw." the man waved off. "You see, Gerik's Mercenaries takes its name from me, Gerik. I'm the chief here." he said while pointing at himself. "If I quit while our employer still fought on, they'd want a new name, you follow me?" he said before getting back to the situation at hand. "So… What's the plan?"_

_"Same as before." Innes replied. "We remain surrounded. They're not going to allow us to simply walk out of here… I sent a messenger off with news of our plight. However, even on the wings of a Pegasus Knight, Frelia is days away. We can expect no help from them."_

_"So we tighten our belts and survive, is that it?" Gerik asked. "Or would you rather quit this place and rest in comfort?"_

_"Surrender?" Innes scoffed. "I'm the prince of Frelia. I don't know the meaning of the word. The fate of the world rides on my shoulders, and I'll make it to Jehanna. Even if I have to crawl there to do it."_

_"Now, that makes me feel better." Gerik grinned. "If you're so determined, we may all live a little while longer…"_

_As they continue to protect the fort they stayed in, the dancer noticed something. "Hey, Chief, Prince."_

_"What is it, Tethys?" Gerik asked her._

_"I've got bad news… and then I've got worse news." she informed them._

_"What's the bad news?" Gerik asked._

_"We've no more weapons and food in reserve." Tethys told them. "What you're holding is what we've got. Once those are gone, there won't be much fight left in us."_

_"That _is_ bad news…" Gerik sighed. "Well? What's the worse news?"_

_"They've begun to move." Tethys said. "They're going to attack again. Looks like they're sending up the whole lot of 'em this time." She said as Innes looked out the slit._

_"Right." Innes began. "You two, you're done here. Discharged. Fired. Whatever." He waved off. "You can surrender or flee. The choice is yours."_

_"What?" Gerik asked._

_"I'm the one they're after. Throw down your weapons, and you'll walk away alive. I don't need you here. You'll only be in my way. Who knows? You filthy sellswords'll probably sell me out anyway."_

_"Hold on there!" The woman exclaimed. "That's not true, and you know it!"_

_"Peace, Tethys." Gerik said. "Hey, Prince. What are you going to do?"_

_"I'm going to get out of here on my own. I'll break to the south and escape into the mountains."_

_"That ain't gonna be easy. How you plan on doing _that_?"_

_"I'm not telling you. I've no idea when you'll decide to betray me. Go on. Get out of here. I'd rather do this alone."_

_"Sounds like you're trying to make sure _you're_ the only one who dies." Gerik chuckled as Innes glared at him._

_"Fool. I've no intention of dying. But there can be no false hope of reinforcements riding in to save the day. You and I are not the same. You're a commoner, and I'm Frelia's heir. We of noble birth do not shirk the duties to which we are born." He said as Gerik shouldered his weapon, Tethys crossing her arms. "What are you _waiting_ for? You may go."_

_"Well played, milord." Gerik smirked. "I've always loved the melodrama of martyrdom… There's no way I can abandon you after _that_ fine performance. I'm staying with you. To the end."_

_"To the– What are you _saying_?" Innes asked incredulously. "You dare ignore the orders of the one who's paying you wages?"_

_"Tethys, I want you to go and surrender." Gerik grinned. "Give my regards to Ewan and Marisa."_

_"Don't be ridiculous." Tethys scoffed. "I'm not going anywhere. Now would the two of you kindly stop acting like such… men? And you!" She cried out pointing at Innes. "You've already _fired_ us. You can't order us to leave _now_."_

_"Unbelievable…" Innes groaned with a face palm. "And you people call yourselves mercenaries. I thought you fought for _money_, not for duty."_

_"Yeah, that's one of the rules." Gerik chuckled. "Guess we're lousy mercenaries, eh? Now let's get thinking. We still need a plan to get us all out of here alive. You're supposed to be a good tactician, so I figure I won't die easily. Tell us what to do, Prince. We'll follow your orders."_

_"Hm. Very well. I'll see what I can do to avoid getting us filled with arrows.'_

_"Ah… Say, Prince." Tethys began looking through the slit. "If, by some miracle, aid were to come, from what direction would it arrive?"_

_"_…_From the north." Innes replied. "But there's little or no hope of that. Even if Frelia were to send us aid, they would not arrive until…"_

_"This may be good news…" The dancer began. "Then again, it may be more _bad_ news. There. On that northern mountain path… Someone's coming."_

* * *

After what seemed like a dangerous journey after getting through those lakes and bridges and went through the bridge, we finally managed to get to our destination… and we've seen around the fortress they're attacking, I'm willing to bet Tana's brother is in there… somehow.

"Prince Innes!" Eirika cried out.

"Brother!" Tana followed suit.

"Princess Eirika, the prince is surrounded by the mercenary armies of Carcino. He looks vastly outnumbered. I doubt he can hold out much longer." Seth concluded.

"The longer we're delayed, the more troublesome it will become…" Storm said as he and Amber got off from the horse as the rest moved out of the caravan.

"Oh my… this is quite troublesome…" Melissa–sempai said worried.

"Well, normally we'd think first _then_ act, but since we're kinda on a time limit, we act _then_ think along the way." I said.

"Agreed…" Eirika agreed with me while looking worried over the field.

"I can't believe I have to fight my own country people…" Amelia said worried as Natasha stood next to her.

"I know, Amelia. I had the same feeling as well, but what the Emperor did was wrong and we had no other choice but to disobey his order and run away from them as we know the truth…" Natasha said solemnly.

"Now's not the time to get worried over something trivial… it's time to take down those guys and prepare for our rescue mission." Kurai said as he held his Category Ace in his hand.

"Right," I said as I got off my horse. So let's do this!" I said taking out my card and buckle as the rest of us Riders did the same.

"Henshin!"

**TURN/OPEN UP**

**CHANGE**

Seven holograms conjured right in front of us as we dashed forward to don our armors before wielding our weapons and went straight to the landmine. "Come! We must help Prince Innes right now!" Kyle urged before the rest of the group followed suit.

"I'm coming, brother! Just hold on tight!" Tana shouted as her Pegasus lets out a neigh before galloping towards the field.

"Let's get this battle started and hope for the best Lady Luck is on our side…" Joshua told them before getting the caravan moving forward, which consisted of mages, healers and non–cavalry units, heading towards the battle; which caught the enemies' attention.

"Incoming enemies!" A solider yelled. "All units engage the enemy! Kill them all!"

"Not on my watch you're not!" I said. "Remember guys, any enemy healers out there, disarm them, but don't kill!" I said before rousing a card.

**MACH**

The hologram of Mach Jaguar entered my armor and I went really fast taking out enemies here and there with my Blay Rouzer. I gotta keep my emotions in check though. I'm not gonna have a repeat of what happened last time when I dealt with Binks… I'm not letting it happen! I _cannot_ and _will_ not let it happen!

"Huh?! Where did he go?" one of the soldiers asked as they were surprised by my sudden blur from their view before the knights crashed through their defense with ease. Joshua and the rest of the people in the caravan got down from it and assisted the rest of them in the battle.

"O for heaven's sake, is this what we must endure for the sake of the future?" Artur preached for a moment before he let out a light attack that shone brightly onto their eyes, blinding them before Colm and Joshua dashed forward to make the kill.

"What can we do? It's the only thing we _can_ do…" Gilliam told the bishop before Lute casted an inferno onto the nearby mages that tried to attack them.

"Please forgive me…" Amelia said sadly before stabbing her lance onto one of the mages that was nearby before being approached by Natasha.

"Do not worry. The Light will forgive you for your actions…' Natasha assured her before Glaive and Leangle charged forward and knocked down the priests' that healed them.

"I'm sorry…" Leangle apologized. One of the soldiers saw the opportunity to kill her, before being stopped by Glaive's Rouzer that parried the attack as she had a card on her hand.

"Geez, you know what I hate the most? Someone attacking you from behind!" she said angrily before she roused her card right in front of him, leaving the soldier confused.

**MIGHTY**

In an instant, her blade was covered in electricity before he got shocked. She finished him off with a cut on his chest, thus killing him in an instant. "Thank you for protecting my back, Glaive." Leangle thanked her.

"No prob!" Mikoto chirped.

**FLOAT**

**DRILL**

**TORNADO**

The three holograms of Float Dragonfly, Drill Shell, and Tornado Hawk entered Chalice's armor.

**SPINNING DANCE**

"Round and round I'll go, where I'll stop, I'll never know." Chalice said as he spun around and a fierce wind started to pick up. As he ascended to the sky, some of the soldiers covered their eyes from the intense wind. Eventually, what goes up, must come down as he delivered a very fast drilled drop kick towards the group, scattering them into multiple places as he dived down a kick at a general while the rest of the scattered soldiers had their armors slashed, leaving cuts all over before they dropped dead. I soon clocked over to him, reverting back to my normal speed. "It seems like you've grasped control over your anger issue…" Chalice muttered as he stood up from the dent of the general's chest armor.

"I have, but… it may come up again. After this battle is done, maybe you can give me some meditative techniques that could help." I said.

For once, I heard him let out a scoff, but not one of those angry ones… more like an assured one. "I'll see what I can do…" he said before he rested his Arrow on his shoulders as we noticed a group of soldiers surrounded us. "In the meantime, we better teach them whose boss around here…"

* * *

_As Eirika and Tana break through the offense of the soldiers that surrounded the area with the help of Garcia, Franz, Kyle, Ross, and Seth, Innes noticed the voices that were calling for him and he couldn't believe what he was seeing. "Brother!" Tana shouted as her Pegasus kicked one of the soldiers off his feet before she dismounted it and ran towards upstairs of the fort. Eirika followed suit while Garcia, Franz, Kyle, Ross, and Seth protected them from letting the enemy get to them._

_"We must protect them!" Seth told them._

_"Let's take them out, dad!" Ross told his dad._

_"Be sure to knock them out good!" Garcia told his son as the two began to engage with the lancers._

_"For Renais and the fall of Grado!" Kyle declared before his horse galloped forward and tried to take down one of the horsemen._

* * *

_Meanwhile, Innes headed towards the door and as he opened it, Tana pounced towards her brother and hugged him tightly, much to his surprise. "Tana?! What? How did… What are you _doing_ here?" he asked her._

_"I came with Eirika. Wait here, Brother. It's _my_ turn to protect you." she told him._

_"Stop playing the soldier, Tana." Innes admonished. "You _will_ return to the palace at once._

_"NO! I _will_ not be left out!" Tana suddenly yelled causing Innes to finally shut up for once. "You, Ephraim, Eirika, and Kurogasa had to go fight for something, while I stayed back home doing _nothing_! I'm sick of it!"_

_"Tana…" Innes muttered under his breath after seeing his sister look at him, full of determination for once. In the end, he sighed in defeat "…We'll talk about this later. For now, we join forces with Eirika." he said to her. Tana's expression instantly changed at that._

_"Thank you, brother!" Tana said as she tightened her hug before he pushed her away as he noticed Eirika approach him._

_"Prince Innes! Are you well?" Eirika asked concerned._

_"Princess Eirika… I'm well." Innes told her, as she lets out a sigh of relief._

_"We've come to aid you. You must be exhausted. Please fall back and rest. We'll take care of these dogs." Eirika told him._

_"I cannot allow that." Innes denied. "I will not run and hide while a woman protects me…" he told her as he took his bow and arrow from a table nearby where Gerik and Tethys are standing at. "We will continue the fight. You can join us."_

_"If that's how you want it… I won't stop you…" Eirika said before Tana walked next to Eirika. "Come, we must go and defeat them!"_

_"Yeah! Let's do it!" Tana said cheerily before she ran out from the fort and Eirika was also about to follow suit._

_"_…_Eirika, a moment." Innes called her, as she paused and looked at him._

_"Prince?" Eirika asked before Innes suddenly bowed to her politely._

_"I would give you my thanks. You, the princess of Renais, came to my aid…" he praised her before he straightened up and looked at her with his usual stoic look on his face. "…I am in your debt."_

_"N–no, it's alright!" she wavered off before she finally left to follow Tana. _

_Innes then shifted his attention to his mercenaries. "Gerik, Tethys… reinforcements have arrived."_

_Gerik smirked as he rested his sword on his shoulder. "Lucky us, eh? Good thing we held out as long as we did."_

_"Perhaps faith _is_ a good thing. I've never had much before, but perhaps good things _do_ happen to good people." Tethys said to him, as Gerik looked at her confused._

_"Good things? I like the sound of that. What do you suppose might come _my_ way?"_

_"Ha ha… I wonder…" Tethys giggled before Innes walked out of the room._

_"Come, we have enemies to take down!" Innes commanded them._

* * *

**ABSORB QUEEN**

Garren and I then slid our Fusion Jack cards through the reader.

**FUSION JACK**

Our Rouze Absorber were decorates with the Fusion Eagle and Peacock plaques respectively and we were soon dawned in our Jack Form. "What kind of sorcery _is_ that?! I've never witness such a thing before!" one of the shamans gasped as both Garren and I are now in Jack Form; Lance and Larc ran towards our direction before Chalice went out to help Leangle and Glaive.

"Well, look on the upside, at least they _knew_ what kind of a 'monster' they're dealing with… right, big bro?" Garren said to me as Larc giggled.

"Yep. So let's do this!" I said rousing two cards.

**KICK**

**THUNDER**

"Right behind ya, big bro!" Garren said rousing two.

**DROP**

**FIRE**

Four holograms appeared behind us before it was absorbed into our armor. It then declared the move that both of us were about to perform…

**LIGHTNING BLAST**

**BURNING SMASH**

Both of us leaped high to the sky as our wings spread out before we dived down our drop kick onto a bunch of them; Lance rushes forward to cut them down while Larc ran straight next to him, letting out some shots onto their shamans, killing them in an instant. As we landed on the ground next to them, the explosion occurred as we looked back and noticed the fireworks displayed. "Well, that takes care of _that_ bunch…" Larc said before suddenly, a few spikes hit us multiple times. Then something dashed at us and delivered a whiplash attack on me while a strong tackle rammed through us, causing us to fly a few meters away before we landed on the ground, groaning in pain.

"Ugh… what hit us?" Lance groaned as the four of us tried to stand up.

When we _did_, we groaned in annoyance. "Oh, you've gotta be kidding me." I groaned. We got two more Undead in front of us.

"Ara? What a surprise, indeed…" one of the Undead said as it had a yellow bodysuit with multiple stripes on her body, having a face that resembled a tiger and a pair of ears of a merman, spiky shoulder pads mounted on both of her shoulders with chains flowing down until it reached its elbows, its right arm consisted of a metal gauntlet and sharp claws as the left part of its arm consisted of a humanoid tiger paw. The lower part of its body has multiple rings that wrapped around its thighs and the lower part of its legs were mounted with steel greaves and boots with a chain attached on its knee buckle. This was Tiger Undead or in humanoid form, Hikaru Jō as she wagged her tail in excitement.

Next to her is another Undead as it looked at us in a stone look on its face; It consisted of turtle head, with shoulders pad with chains mounted on his right shoulder and a spiky turtle shell on the other side of his shoulder. A buckler was on his right arm. He wears a black bodysuit with black patches of leather on it with the lower part of its body consisting of another patch of leather with a rocky surface. This was the Tortoise Undead.

"Great… the Queen of Clubs… if we can get it, Leangle might have her Jack and King Form!" Garren informed.

"We don't have the Kings yet Garren." I told him. "But I _am_ looking forward to the Jack Form." I say that because one time back in my world, I found a picture of what Leangle would look like in Jack Form on the Kamen Rider wiki, since it never showed in the series and it was one of those S.I.C Tamashii line figures. "Alright, Riders you know the drill! Time to seal these Undead!"

* * *

_With a swing of his sword, life of a sniper that took control of the ballistae ended. Forde looked around, and there weren't many other people guarding around the place. "Well, since there isn't many enemies left, I might as well take a nap…" he said before he got off his horse and decided to lay down under the tree to take a nap._

_Up in the sky, Vanessa was scouting around if there were more archers that were aiming for her. She noticed a man resting right at the back of the ballistae. "What's that down there?" Vanessa pondered before she decided to land there, but when a sudden arrow came shooting out of nowhere, the Pegasus suddenly panicked as Vanessa tried to control her landing. "Whoa, Titania! Whoa, girl! Let's stop here!" she told her Pegasus as it tripped upon the sleeping Forde before it gets its footing. "Are you hurt?! Are you all right?!" she asked her Pegasus while looking around to see what caused her Pegasus to stumble a bit and much to her surprise…_

_"Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz…" Forde was sleeping soundly as if the hit never happened to him at all making Vanessa annoyed and angry._

_"You have _got_ to be kidding me! Sleeping while a war is waging?" Vanessa said annoyed before she decided to wake him up. "Bold warrior, it's time to wake up!" she tried first, but he's not responding to her calling. By now she was getting impatient as she tried to wake him up again. "Hey! Lazybones! Get up!"_

_"Snargleblagh… hmph?" Forde said half awake before he went back to sleep. "Zzzzzzzzz…"_

_At this point, Vanessa gave up. "Oh, boy… Let's go, Titania. It's clear that Mr. Slug here needs his beauty rest." she said as she mounted back on her Pegasus and soars back to the sky._

_Right after that, Forde woke up from his sleep and sat up while he looked around. 'Huh? Did someone say something?" he asked himself before he noticed a group of soldiers from the southeast side appear and they were heading towards Eirika's group. "Might as well follow suit…" Forde muttered before he mounted on his horse and began to make haste._

* * *

_Somewhere from afar, another group of soldiers walked towards the war zone with a girl as she had purple long hair that reached her back, wearing a black sleeveless leather armor and short skirt with a pink transparent cloth that was wrapped around her waist, brown fingerless gloves and boots and she wielded a Shamsir on her left hand. It is then the leader looked upon the girl._

_"Hey! You're up! You're getting paid a lot more than us common soldiers. Time you earned your gold!" he shouted at her._

_"I hear you. Where do I start killing?" she asked him._

_"Th–That way!" he said pointing where Eirika's group were at. "The Frelian troops! Don't point that blade in our direction!" he told her._

_"Hmph…" She scoffed before walking away._

_"She's one scary girl…" one of the soldiers whispered to them._

_"But she's one of the great swordsmen that has taken down many lives… hence, the reason with her scary face…" another soldier said before they charge forward._

* * *

_Meanwhile with Eirika, Tana, Innes, Gerik, and Tethys…_

_As the number of the soldiers attacking them was decreasing, with the additional help from the knights of Renais, they eventually managed to lower the number down with ease. "Well, that takes care of that…" Tana said relieved from it as Innes approaches to her with his usual stoic look on his face._

_"_…_good work…" Innes said to her with his usual look._

_"Thanks!" Tana replied until they heard another clash of weapons nearby as they noticed the purple haired swordsman was fighting Eirika with their swords as Seth was shocked to see it._

_"Princess!" Seth called out as Eirika was overwhelmed by the skills of the swordswoman before Gerik noticed who she was and was a bit surprised._

_"Marisa?" Gerik blinked._

_"Chief." Marisa blinked as well._

_"Huh? Both of you _know_ each other?" Garcia asked as Marisa pulled her Shamsir away from Eirika's neck before she sheathed back her sword and faced her chief._

_"Of _course_ they know…" Tethys told him. "They're working at the same group of mercenaries… just like me."_

_"What a mess… Looks like the guild bungled." Gerik said scratching his head. "They're usually diligent about making sure this sort of thing doesn't happen. But here we are, two people of the same troop, working for opposite sides." He sighed._

_"What should we do?" Marisa asked him._

_"Aye, well, that's a good question…" he said as he began to recall the rules of being a mercenary. "As a mercenary, your loyalty should always lie with the person paying your wages. You decide." he said while looking at Marisa. "We can cross blade if you want, but I'd rather you retreat. 'Course, if you betray your employer, you'll soil your sterling name."_

_"C'mon, Chief." Marisa huffed. "What would _you_ like me to do?"_

_"That's easy; I want you to _join_ me."_

_"Right. Done." Marisa smirked._

_"Wait a minute, that's it? Just like that?" Gerik asked incredulously._

_"Why, Chief? Does it bother you?" she asked him._

_"You_ know_ what this will do to your reputation, right?" Gerik asked her as she just nodded._

_"Uh–huh… and I don't care. I just follow your commands and that's what I do best…" Marisa said firmly as Tana and Innes watched the whole thing._

_"Seems like it starts off at the wrong foot…" Innes muttered._

_"But at least we've cleared out the misunderstandings!" Tana said happily._

_"And we got more people to assist us on this mission…" Seth told them._

* * *

Gah! Our attacks are leading us to nowhere but pain! Every time any of us try to deliver a blow either on Tiger or Tortoise Undead, they were able to protect each other from harm as Tortoise's strong and durable shell made from stone made it hard to attack it while Tiger's agility and strength really cut our attack with ease from her claws. She delivered an uppercut on Larc, a high scratch with a stab onto Lance, does a backhand scratch attack on Garren and giving me a double fist on my chest before her tail swiped us in an instant. Her actions caused Garren, Lance, Larc and I to fall on our butts.

"Ara… it seems like I attacked all of you too fast…" The Tiger Undead giggled as the Tortoise Undead shot out stone spikes from its turtle pad, hitting us just as we were about to stand up, ending up rolling around a few times. "What's the matter, Riders? Can't catch me with your powers?"

"Darn it… she's too strong… and she doesn't need DarkRoaches to help her out at all…" Lance gritted.

"She _is_ one of the Royal Club after all, big bro…" Garren replied as he slowly stood up as smoke covered our armor.

"Even so, we still gotta beat them." I gritted getting up.

"With _that_ kind of condition? Ara, the chances of you defeating both of us are slim, Blade… I suggest you stay down and let us slice you into pieces…" Tiger Undead said as Larc managed to stand up on her feet and glared upon them.

"I won't… let you hurt them…" Larc said between breaths as she held a card in a hand and it's the Trial B Undead?!

"You're not going to do what I _think_ you're going to do?" I asked her and before I knew it, she roused the common card onto her Larc Rouzer.

**TRIAL… B**

In an instant, her armor glowed radiantly, blinding both sides and when it dimmed down; all of us were surprised by her transformation. The chest part of her armor has been modified as its color scheme changes into white plate armor with a black 'A' having a pattern outside of the letter that resembled a rib cage. Both of her arms consisted of a half–shield on each arm, which is similar to Kame's shield on Kamen Rider OOO's BuraKaWani Form and I can hear crackles of lightning from her boots. This is Missing Ace – Trial B. Now I see why Lance called it Missing Ace instead of their names… because these Common Cards can be used on _any_ Missing Ace Riders.

"Nani?! What _is_ this?!" The Tiger Undead said surprised as the Tortoise Undead dashed and tried to collide its body towards our direction, only to have Amber guard us in a speed of light closing her arms to form a full shield and miraculously stopped the attack dead on track!

"I will not… let you harm them!" Larc declared before she pushed back, causing the Tortoise Undead to tumble a few steps back.

"Whoa…" I got out.

"The power to protect others from harm… Trial B…" Garren muttered out.

"With improvised defense and speed, this will become handy to her advantage." Lance said as Tiger Undead was surprised from the sudden hidden strength from her.

"You think you're fast enough to stop me?!" the Tiger Undead shouted as Larc roused a card onto her Rouzer.

**MIGHTY**

In an instant, a hologram appeared before her as her Rouzer absorbed it, aiming at it with the additional charge from the electricity from her powers, the Rouzer now imbued with both fire and electricity. When the Tiger Undead was close enough, at first, she wanted to pull the trigger on it, but as soon as the Tortoise Undead tried to tackle her to her side, she immediately switched target to the Tortoise Undead. She pulled down the trigger to unleash an explosive fire and electric combo onto the Undead, causing it to fly towards a nearby tree before Tiger Undead unleashed a slash onto her, causing Larc to fly and landed next to us.

"Larc!" Garren, Lance and I shouted as she slowly tried to push herself up… but something was wrong.

"Eh…? Nani? Why do I feel like… my strength is being seeped… out…?" Larc muttered before she went unconscious as her transformation canceled out too.

"Amber!" Lance shouted as he rushed to her side to check up on her condition.

"I guess that rider forgot about its side effect…" Tiger Undead giggled as Garren and I looked at it. "Trial B will drain their stamina for impressive speed and defense and from the looks of it, after taking a lot of damage earlier, she doesn't have the strength to continue on after my attack earlier… also, it will drain out their stamina until they collapse…"

"If only she knew before she used it… damn it! _I_ should've used it instead of _her_!" Lance said feeling regret.

"Lance, take Amber back to the caravan. Garren and I will deal with them."

Lance nodded while carrying the unconscious Amber into his arms. "Beat that thing down for me, okay?" Lance told me before running back to the caravan's direction.

"You got it." I said turning back to the Undead. "Time to cheat a little bit." I then roused a card.

**TIME**

The hologram of the Time Scarab entered my armor as the Tiger Undead was confused about my actions, but the next thing it knew, all of a sudden, a half sphere was spread out around the area. Leaves began to slow down and Garren was in a stance as if he's not moved a muscle, and the Tortoise Undead's flame was frozen.

"Good now I can finally do this." I said rousing my cards.

**SLASH**

**THUNDER**

The holograms of Slash Lizard and Thunder Deer appeared and entered my Rouzer.

**LIGHTNING SLASH**

My Rouzer instantly changed into the sharpest sword covered in electricity and spread out my wings to fly towards the Undead's direction. Each time I passed by, a cut was delivered onto its body and after a few passed, I decided to finish it off in one big slash as I flew high to the sky. At that time, the Time Scarab effect wore off and multiple sparks appeared on the Undead, causing it to stumble a few steps back and I tried to estimate where it would be stop its tracks.

"Where did he go?!' the Undead demanded as Garren looked up where I was at.

"What goes up must come down!" Garren told it before I cleaved it in half, stunning it before sparks were created and eventually, an explosion occurred, while it flung a few meters away from where I was standing.

"All done." I grinned under my mask as I took out a Proper Blank for the Tortoise and Tiger Undead and sealed them up before the two cards came at me and I caught them. I gave the Rock Tortoise card to Garren. "All right, let's go Garren; we need to give the card to Leangle."

"Yeah! I think everyone else is heading towards the castle over there, big bro! We better move out!" Garren told me before both of us spread our wings and flew to the castle's direction.

* * *

_On the bridge of the entrance to the castle, an old sage in his 50's, with blue–teal hair and red scarf on his neck, wearing a brown robe with yellow lines at the middle, looked upon the battlefield as he saw the riders and the rest of Eirika's group fighting forth the enemy as he had a displeased look on his face. "No one can withstand the might of Grado… Logic dictates we join now or be subjugated later. I made the rational decision. The _only_ decision!" he said to himself while thinking about earlier today._

* * *

**Flashback**

Pablo walked out from the entrance of the castle as he had a smug look on his face as some of his mercenaries guarded the area and the rest of them are attacking Prince Innes's ford. "Heh heh… My plan to get rid of Klimt has yielded some unexpected fruit. The head of Frelia's Prince Innes will make a fine gift to Grado." he muttered with a smug look on his face as one of his mercenaries walked towards him with a salute.

"Lord Pablo, Prince Innes and his men have taken refuge in a mountain stronghold. Do we have your permission to finish them off?" one of his mercenaries asked him, as his smug went wider than ever.

"Yes. Flush the prince out and cut him down. We'll find Klimt later and roast his old bones as well. Heh heh heh…" he told them chuckling, making them salute to him before heading off towards the battle.

At that time, an old scholar in his late 50's, having a grey hair and beard, wearing a yellow robe and red shirt inside looks upon the battle with a worried look on his face. At this time, one of his men entered his chamber room. "Lord Klimt, Pablo's troops are moving toward the stronghold. It looks like they're planning on chasing down Prince Innes and his men."

"Pablo, you mad, reckless imbecile…" Klimt cursed. "If Prince Innes dies here, the bond between Carcino and Frelia is sundered forever. Carcino will be nothing more than a vassal paying tribute to Grado…" he said angrily tone before looking at his soldier. "We must find some way to aid Prince Innes."

"Wait, my lord Klimt! Pablo is after you as well. If you reveal yourself here…" the soldier began, making Klimt reconsider his actions, as his face turned sour once again.

"Ahh… May fortune, keep you safe, Prince Innes…" Klimt prayed.

**End** **Flashback**

* * *

_As Pablo pondered back into his earlier actions, Leangle, Chalice, Glaive, Joshua, Colm, Vanessa and Neimi continue to press onward while Natasha was riding on Vanessa's Pegasus. "We're just a few kills away from getting to the leader!" Joshua mentioned while taking down another mercenary with his blade._

_"Just a little a bit more and we can get through this!" Colm said._

_"Then let's." Leangle said as she roused some cards._

**BITE**

**BLIZZARD**

_The holograms of the Bite Cobra and Blizzard Polar entered her armor._

**BLIZZARD CRUSH**

_She thrusted her Rouzer forward, creating a blizzard onto one of the mercenary knights, causing his horse to be surprised before she leaped high and delivered a devastating scissor kick, courtesy of Bite Cobra. The kick connected, and the man on the horse immediately flung to other infantrymen on the ground, knocking them out cold._

_"Oh my… I didn't know I can do such a kick before…" Leangle said surprised._

_"Wow! You _go_ girl!" Glaive cheered._

_"P–Please… don't praise me for something like that…" Leangle wavered off as Chalice stepped forward to slash down another knight._

_"Yeah, because our target is just right ahead of us. Maybe you can show him that lovely kick of yo–"_

_*STOMP*_

_"Iteee!" Chalice cringed in pain as his toe got crushed again by Leangle's Rouzer. "Why is it that I always get a different treatment from others?!"_

_"Ah! Sorry, Kurai… it's just that… my muscles acted on its own…" Leangle apologized._

_"Really?! You could've fooled _me_!" Chalice snapped._

_Leangle got quiet as she emitted a black aura from her back, which in turn got Chalice to be quiet. "When I say I apologize, I meant it… do you understand?" she said in somehow, a dark and warped voice, causing him to take a few steps back._

_"Y–Y–Yes ma'am…" Chalice stuttered._

_"Good!" Leangle said and the aura diminishes in an instant, causing her to return back to her motherly self. "As expected from the person that I love the most…" she said before she looked forward and charged towards the castle gate. Colm followed suit by riding with Neimi to get to her destination, followed by Vanessa and Natasha on her Pegasus, leaving Joshua and the terrified Chalice behind._

_"Wow… that's_ some_ woman you _got_ there, Kurai…" Joshua said impressed._

_"You have no idea…" Chalice shuddered._

* * *

Garren and I have been flying for a while now and from what I can see, most of our group began to rendezvous towards the big castle. And it looks like Eirika's group, has gotten Innes out of there along with three other people I haven't seen before. "Hey Garren, meet up with Leangle and make sure she gets that Queen card, I'm gonna go meet up with Eirika."

"Really? Are you sure about this, big bro?" Garren asked me which I confirmed by handing him the Queen of Clubs, the Absorb Tiger to him.

"Yeah, Eirika got herself some new allies and I wanna meet them…" I said to him before both of us parted ways and headed to our destination. "Eirika!" I called out.

Tana looked at the sky and saw me as she waved her hands happily. "Kurogasaaaaa~~~!"

"Kurogasa!" Eirika said happily before as she noticed the purple haired girl getting into a stance once I landed on the ground. "Wait, Marisa, he's an ally!"

"An ally?" she asked as she looked at me sternly.

"What kind of a fighter _is_ he?" the red–haired girl asked confused as she looked closely on my armor from afar.

"Yeah, never see one like this before…" the scarred man replied.

"Are you all okay?" I asked as I approached them undoing my transformation, surprising the three new people.

"Oh, you three don't need to be surprise about it. You will all be accustomed to it… just like us when _we_ first met them." Garcia told them.

"Yes, Kurogasa. We've managed to save Innes on time…" Seth informed me as Forde and Kyle closed in.

"It seems like we've taken care of the last spearmen running inside the forest…" Kyle told them.

"Yeah, it turns out the man who hired these guys are none other than Pablo…" Forde pointed out.

"Just as I expected…" Seth said worried.

"That no good man! How dare he attack me and cause this kind of mess! The one in charge of this country would suffer my wrath!" Innes said angrily as we heard another neigh and it turned out to be Ross bringing along the caravan to our spot, as well as Storm and Moulder leading the carriage, which I presume he's done his part.

"Tell me… are you the only one who has this… 'magic' in you?" the scarred man asked me.

"Oh there's about six more like me." I answered.

"Six?!" the dancer asked surprised.

"C'mon! We got a castle to siege and people to save here!" Storm shouted.

"Oh, right! We better get going!" I said taking my Change Ace card and putting it in the buckle. "Henshin!"

**TURN UP**

A hologram ejected out from my belt, surprising the three of them as it slowly drew back and passed through me, making me don my armor. "Such magic…" the dancer said in awe while impressed.

"The boy's right! We still got work to do! Come, Tethys, Marisa! Let's finish this job, so we can show our group's strength, Gerik Mercenary, to them!" Gerik commanded.

"Right behind you~" Tethys chirped happily.

"Yes, chief." Marisa followed suit as everyone on foot got on the caravan and all of us headed towards the castle. Time to meet the heart of the troublesome mess!

* * *

_Pablo waited patiently as he continued to look at the horizon with some guards accompanying him. "Hm… just how long does it take to finish the job?' he asked himself._

_"I'm sure they're handling it as we speak." One of the guards said._

_"Really. Then why is it taking so long?!" Pablo shouted, to which the guard flinched at._

_"Because of us." A voice said. Pablo looked to see Chalice, Leangle, and Glaive accompanied by the others. "Your time's up." Chalice said. "Surrender, and I _may_ let you live."_

_"Tch… like I'll follow orders of strange warriors like you! Get 'em!" Pablo commanded as the remaining soldiers advanced forward._

_"Minna! We'll take over from here!" Glaive said happily while holding her Rouzer tightly as Chalice, Leangle and herself dashed forward towards the battle._

"_It's time we wrapped this up!" Chalice said rousing some cards._

**CHOP**

**TORNADO**

_"Don't leave me out!" Glaive said cheerily rousing her card._

**MIGHTY**

_"Please forgive me." Leangle said as she roused her cards as well._

**RUSH**

**BLIZZARD**

**POISON**

_The instant the cards have been roused, six holograms projected behind their backs before being absorbed into their armor._

**SPINNING WAVE**

_The gust of wind swirled around Chalice as three soldiers tried to stab him with their lances, causing their vision to be disrupted and losing their focus. With the opening he found, he immediately lashed a chop onto them, making them fly to the lake below them._

_"Don't be 'shocked' from what you're about to feel here!" Glaive giggles before she started to dance around them with her Rouzer held downwards as they tried to stab her with their lances. She kept dancing happily as she lashed out a cut onto each of them, cutting away their armor and eventually leaving cuts all over them. As she stopped her dance and give the final bow, the sparks on them suddenly increased rapidly, causing them to drop down on the ground and stayed motionless, as their bodies formed an 'A' around her._

**BLIZZARD VENOM**

_Leangle swung aside their attacks before crushing their toe with the hilt of Leangle Rouzer, causing him to bump onto another soldier at his back as he tumbled down to the lake. The said injured man suddenly got stabbed on his gut as Leangle used all of her strength to throw him back to Pablo. The sage was surprised when he saw the man suddenly turn into a block of ice. "Wait, wait, wait!" Pablo begged as Chalice looked at him with an annoyed look under his helmet._

_"What? Begging for your _life_ now? What an eyesore…" he muttered._

_"Listen to my offer!" Pablo bargained. "With your three strange powers, I would like to offer your service! You're all mercenaries, right? Just give me an offer and help me conquer this place! With your strength and my brilliance of tactics, we might even rule this whole Magvel as well! What do you say?" Pablo begged._

_"How about NO!" A voice yelled from the sky. Everyone looked up to see Garren coming in for a landing. "OI~ Minna!" Garren as he came down, but then he realized that he was coming down too fast!_

_"Eh?! Garren! You're descending too fast!" Glaive shouted at him as without a warning…_

*CRASH*

_Garren ended up landing on top of Glaive due to his bad landing, as both helmets are now close to each other. As a result of that, the card flew towards Chalice's hand and the transformation canceled out in an instant. What came next is what the two weren't expecting at all. As Akira and Mikoto slowly opened up their eyes, they noticed they are looking at each other very close and most importantly, when the two tried to speak, they felt their lips were somehow… warm. It was then they realized both of them were kissing by accident. Akira, being the alert one, suddenly backed off with a blush on his face. "Wah~! G–Gomenasai, Mikoto–chan!"_

_Mikoto pushed herself up and was a bit stunned while touching her lips with her finger while having her own blush._

_"Wow, aren't _you_ bold." Joshua smirked raising an eyebrow._

_"Hmph…" Chalice muttered._

_"N–No! Big bro, I can explain!" Akira denied while panicking. _

_"My first… kiss…" Mikoto muttered under her breath as she was practically in her own world right now. _

_"Chalice, what is that card you're holding?" Leangle asked as she approached him._

_Chalice looked at the card. "Queen of Clubs. Absorb Tiger."_

_"Why do I feel like I'm being ignored here?" Pablo asked himself._

_Akira soon returned back to reality as he looked at Leangle and approached to her quickly. "Big sis! You can use that to get to your Jack Form!" He informed her._

_"My Jack Form?" Leangle asked confused by the term as Chalice handed her a Rouze Absorber. "Kurai?"_

_"I had one in my pack when I first reached this world… and heck, I thought I could get myself a Jack Form… but it seems like I don't have to since you need one…" Chalice told him as she took it and placed it on her arm._

_"Ano… how do I use this?" Leangle asked._

_"Place the Absorb Tiger into the Rouzer and slide the Fusion Elephant across the reader on the side like you would with a credit card." Leangle nodded and did the first thing._

**ABSORB QUEEN**

_A pulsing noise was heard surprising Leangle a bit before taking out the Fusion Elephant card. "Here goes nothing." She said then looked away, her eyes closed behind the mask as she slid the card across the reader._

**FUSION JACK**

_With the sound of an elephant trumpeting as a sign of the confirmation, the plaque of a gold club suit with an elephant on it bordered by purple can be seen on her Rouze Absorber. "E–Eh?! W–What's going on?!" Leangle panicked due to her inexperience with Kamen Rider stuff as a golden silhouette ran around before it crashed to Leangle's armor, causing a bright light to blind anyone who witnessed it. When it dimmed down, everybody and even Leangle _herself_ was surprised._

_"Sugei~!" Akira said in awe. The transformation of Kamen Rider Leangle – Jack Form has been revealed._

_While her lower part of her body and helmet remained the same, the upper part of her chest armor was a completely different story. Leangle gained a chest plate with an engraved clover suit and is adorned with orichalcum tusk shoulder pads. Not only that, she also had arm bracers that resembled Gorilla's arm bracers from Kamen Rider OOO's SaGoZo form, only in golden colors. On her hand, she wielded a stronger and more decorative version of her Leangle Rouzer. "W–Why do my arms feels heavy? Why do I wield a larger staff in my hand?" Leangle asked confused for a moment as Natasha got worried._

_"What happened to Melissa? She looks… different." Natasha asked._

_"Yes, I want to know as well…" Vanessa added._

_"Everyone… you're looking at Leangle in Jack Form." Akira said._

_"Since you've declined my offer, it's time for you all to say goodbye! Elfire!" Pablo casted a spell as an inferno headed towards their direction and Leangle was right in the middle of it._

_"Leangle!" Chalice shouted as Leangle covered her hand in defense, which to Pablo's surprise, the attack was stopped right on track!_

_There was a pause of silence as Leangle lowered down her guard and she looked at her large bracers and found out the large inferno was nowhere to be seen. "Funny… did I just stop it _myself_?" she asked confused as Pablo was in disbelief._

_"That _can't_ be! There's no _way_ someone like you alone can stop my strongest inferno!" the sage said shocked._

_"She just did…" Chalice deadpanned._

_"Now then… it seems like you need to be taught a lesson…" Leangle said as she rotated her Rouzer around before making a run towards the sage. Due to her low speed, Pablo attempted to cast another Elfire again and charge it up to maximum before unleashing it towards Leangle. She anticipated it and retaliates with a punch at the core of the Elfire, causing the attack to reflect back to Pablo. Another explosion occurred in front of him and he took a few steps back leaning against the wall. Leangle tried to go for the kill by thrusting her Rouzer towards him, but the sage was able to evade it and he gulped down after seeing the head of the Rouzer penetrate through the brick wall._

_"Urrgh… N–No. I cannot die when there is such wealth to be had…" Pablo said shaken as a shaman runs next to him with a berserker as well. He had no choice but to do one thing he _can_ do. "Re–Retreat! Mercenaries, to me!" The shaman casted a teleportation spell, as it engulfed the surviving Pablo and his mercenaries, thus disappeared from their view._

_"Well, that takes care of that…" Leangle said as every Rider canceled out their transformation._

_"But he got away…" Akira pouted._

_"There's always next time kid." Kurai said._

* * *

After a while, eventually, we managed to get to the castle on time and before we knew it, another group managed to defeat their leader as that sage made an escape. What _I_ want to know is why is Mikoto sitting down with a slight blush? "You're late…" Kurai told me while crossing his arms.

"Well, sor~ry! If it wasn't for those extra mercenaries that appeared out of nowhere, we could've reached here faster!" Tana retaliated as she stuck a tongue at him.

"Please, you two. Stop fighting…" I heard a tone as Leangle tried to calm the air down and boy, am I surprised to see it firsthand.

"Whoa, so _that's_ what you look like in Jack Form." I said.

"Yes. My arms are starting to feel heavy though." Leangle said as she removed her belt and canceled out her transformation. Tethys was surprised when she saw who it was.

"Wait a minute, _I_ know you. You're that sister I met at Serafew along with that other one." Tethys gasped.

"You _know_ her?" Gerik asked Tethys.

"Not much, but I was a bit surprised when we first met." Tethys explained.

Melissa noticed the woman as well as she had a surprise of her own. "Oh yes, you're the dancer we met at one of the houses, correct?"

"Melissa, you _know_ her?" Natasha asked her.

"It's someone that we met during the hostile situation as we were hiding before you, Neimi, and Joshua regrouped with us." Colm explained.

"Hey you're right!" Ross recognized her.

"W–What are you _doing_ here?" Neimi asked.

"We're hired by the prince here to help them out in this mission… until we got _fired_ by that lad…" Gerik explained.

"And if it wasn't for your help, we wouldn't know how long we would last…" Tethys added.

"Yes, and if Chief wasn't there to convince me to join on his side, I would've killed you all in an instant…" Marisa said stoically, making everyone shudder, and she doesn't seem to mind at all.

"But now that we have sieged the castle, now is a good time to get ourselves an explanation from that guy!" Innes said before he marched into the castle.

"Brother, wait!" Tana said trying to stop him, which he completely ignored her, much to her frustration. She then took my hand and dragged along with her. "C'mon! We gotta go and stop him from doing some nonsense stuff!"

"Oi, c–chotto matte o!" I said, as I looked back to Eirika, who was jealous yet again.

"C'mon, let's just go in and face him…" Joshua said before some of them entered the room.

"Right…" Eirika said slightly angry before she followed suit.

"I'll be waiting outside, just in case if we need to get on a move again…" Storm told them, as Ross and Garcia also accompanied him since Amber is still out and resting up.

* * *

_Unknown to the rest of the group, Valter and his men were stalking them from afar as he noticed her entering the castle. "…I've found you, Eirika. Seems you're as skilled as reports say. This is going to be fun. Yes, yes, yes. I do so love strong women." Valter said having a sinister look on his face as he looked at them from afar. "And even those Riders are improving as well…"_

_"Shall we attack, General Valter?" one of the Wyvern Riders asked him, as they are prepared for the attack while the group was still worn out after the attack earlier._

_"No, we'll pass dessert for now." Valter sighed longingly. "Allow them to escape. We're leaving. A fine wine requires time you know?" He chuckled as he guided his wyvern into the air, his men following him._

* * *

As we entered the castle, the recovered Mikoto skipped forward while looking around as Innes had that stoic look on his face, soon ending up approaching towards the throne room. Meanwhile, as Tana stayed close to me, Eirika couldn't help but keep our distance further as she was slightly annoyed about it. "This castle is quite a decorative place indeed…" Melissa–sempai commented.

"Yeah, big sis. I know what you mean…" Akira replied.

"Oh, Prince Innes!" A voice said as we heard it. An old man appeared at the door near the throne as he approached us. "Thank goodness, you're unharmed!"

"Who are you?" Eirika asked him.

"Oh, where are my manners? I am a member of Carcino's Council of Elders. My name is Klimt." the man introduced himself.

"A council member?" Eirika blinked.

"So _you're_ one of the traitors who ordered–" Innes began, taking his bow from his shoulder.

"P–Peace, please!" Klimt cried out, waving his free hand. "I have no intention of opposing you _or_ quarrelling with you. I, _too_, have been marked for death by Pablo…"

"What is this all about?" Eirika asked as Innes gripped his bow but drew no arrow.

"It's a shameful tale." Klimt sighed. "Carcino is a nation divided. As you know, Carcino has no king but is ruled by a council. But now the council has broken apart into factions mired by discord…'

"Should've seen _that_ one coming." I muttered.

"Factions, huh? Looks like some areas of this place have taken sides, huh?" Kurai asked him, which Klimt nodded.

"Correct. The moderate factions prefer to preserve our alliance with Frelia. Pablo's faction wishes to endear us to Grado, to surrender us to their armies." Klimt explained as rubbed his forehead in a tiresome manner. "Once Pablo realized he couldn't ply us with bribes, he began to have us assassinated. Those of us who remain have taken refuge underground. We oppose him where we can. If you hadn't shown up, I'm not certain I would still be breathing…" he told us.

"I do recall enemy troops combing this area when I arrived…" Innes recalled. "They were searching for you, is that it?"

"Eh?! Really?" Tana asked her brother.

"It's true, prince… Pablo has usurped rule of the council. We had no choice but to hide. Not all of Carcino's council has gone over to Grado's side, though…" he explained. "You must believe me– the whole of Carcino does not believe as Pablo does."

"…I see." Innes said softly.

"Lord Klimt… I understand the hardships you've endured." Eirika said. "I am pleased to hear all of Carcino is not our foe."

"I will depart at once for Frelia to explain our circumstances to the king." Klimt said with a smile. "I think it is best if you return to Frelia as well. Pablo has considerable wealth, and he commands a vast mercenary force. I'm sure he'll send more of them this way as soon as he is able."

"The problem lies with our forces then." Eirika sighed. "We cannot turn back, not when we've missions to complete. But this is the second major conflict we've had in such a short time. My troops need rest before they can march…"

"I see…" Klimt sighed. "Well, you're welcome to use this manor as you see fit."

* * *

_"Prince Innes." Gerik began as he, Eirika, Tethys, and Innes were with him. "Tethys and I are staying with you. Is that gonna work?"_

_"Yes, I would appreciate the help." Innes replied. "Starting now, you've got a new contract, though– the pay's double. If the two of you hadn't stayed with me back there, I would not have survived. Gerik, Tethys… Thank you. You have my gratitude."_

_"Tell me something, Prince." Tethys began. "Did you get… er… hit on the head during that last skirmish?"_

_"_…_That's unkind." Innes sniffed. "My neck is not so _stiff_ that I cannot show gratitude. I would ask for your continued support in the days ahead."_

_"We _both_ ask for your help." Eirika added with a nod and a smile._

_"We've got a deal." Gerik said with a grin, extending his hand. "Let's keep each other alive." He added as Innes shook his hand._

* * *

Soon we gathered the bodies that were slain by us, and after Artur and Moulder gave the Last Rites, we burned the bodies. Amber was taken into the castle, resting on a bed. Storm was with here the whole time. Dinner was soon served courtesy of Tana, and I have to admit, Tana's cooking might rival Amber's. After dinner, I talked with Kurai about the meditative techniques that he uses and after a while of talking, I did some meditation, and I have to admit, it _did_ help. As of now, it was late at night in my room and…

*BOOM!*

It was raining and thundering… Oh joy…

"Great… I'm not gonna get any sleep with _this_ going on…" I muttered tiredly as I slowly got up sitting on my bed, rubbing my eyes.

*KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK*

"Who's knocking on the door _now_? It must be Storm wanting to take a pillow or something…" I muttered out as I walked towards the door and much to my surprise, it was Eirika… holding a pillow.

"U–Um… Kurogasa… is it okay… if I sleep with you?" Eirika stuttered, which led me to a huge blush. She then realized what she just said as she tried to clear up the misunderstanding. "I–It's not what you think! It's just that… well, I'm actually afraid of thunderstorms…"

*BOOM!*

"EEK!" Eirika squeaked suddenly hugging me.

I was a bit surprised from her sudden hug and she was shivering badly after hearing the boom of the thunder. She was about to get teary too. "Why didn't you ask for other girls' help?"

"It's because… their room was already full and… the girls are sleeping peacefully." Eirika got out stuttering. "When I want to go to Amber's room… Storm was there." I guess _that's_ the reason why she pretty much ended up going to my room, since she trusts me a lot.

"I guess… it's okay…" I muttered.

"Kurogasa, why is your heart beating so fast?" Eirika asked me as I noticed she had her head resting on my chest. "Are you… afraid of thunderstorms as well?"

"U–Um… no it's not that. Please… come in…" I got out blushing.

"R–Right…" Eirika said as she entered the room with the pillow she hugged and sits on the bed. Upon closer look, I noticed she's wasn't in her armor anymore. Instead, she was in a long pink dress with a ribbon on it, and I must say, she really looks cute in it. "What are you looking at, Kurogasa?" she asked me with a slight blush.

"Um… uh…" I got out. Dang it, what do I say?! What do I say?! WHAT DO I SAY?! "Um… you look… pretty in that nightgown of yours…" I got out. Crap, why did I say _THAT_?! Now she's _totally_ weirded out! Nice going, Kurogasa… you just made a fool out of yourself.

"Ah… yes… thank you… it was my mother's nightgown when she was young…" Eirika said as she looked away blushing. At least she accepts my compliment in a good way…

After we sorted out the awkwardness, both of us shared on the large bed with a pillow to separate the line, with our backs to each other so that I won't accidentally go to the other side and not do anything silly… and it _still_ felt awkward. I mean, come on, how do you feel when there's a cute girl sleeping next to you, while you're trying your best not to take advantage of her?! "This sleeping dress… was my mother's memento she left behind…"

"Memento?" I asked her.

"Yes… whenever she goes to sleep, she would always wear this dress, as her youth was still as young as I can remember…" she said. "When I was young, mother was always there to comfort me when there's a thunderstorm and she makes me feel safe. But… when she passed away, Ephraim was there to comfort me during that time. Ever since then, whenever there's a thunderstorm, I always held onto mother's nightgown, hoping that one day, I would be able to wear it as her warmth is still there…"

"I see…" I said.

*BOOM!*

"EEK!" Eirika squeaked again as she turned around and suddenly hugged me yet again. When she hugged me, with a pillow to cover our bodies from uh… you know what I mean; I can tell she's really scared whenever there's a thunderstorm crashing down here and her hug was really tight, as if she's hanging on for dear life… the only thing I can do to assure her that everything would be okay was to put my arm around her, which surprised her. "K–Kurogasa?"

"It's okay… I'm right here…" I smiled gently. Eirika looked at me for a moment before she nodded with a smile as I continued to comfort her in any way I can. The rain started to lower down and eventually the _storm_ lowered down after 30 minutes, when I looked at her to tell her the storm has gone, she was already asleep with a smile on her face, while her hand held onto mine for comfort. After seeing her sleep peacefully, I don't have the heart to wake her up or even let go of her hand, because she might wake up. In the end, I just let it be the way it is and rested my head on a pillow. If you think about it, this feels like we're newlyweds for some reason…

…okay, I wasn't expecting _THAT_ at all…

* * *

The next morning, the sun shined brightly as the light shined through our room. As I was the first one to open my eyes, Eirika was still sleeping peacefully as ever and when the sun hit her skin, she really looked beautiful, I'll admit. "Seems like you two had a good night together…" A voice said behind me. When I turned around… oh crap, Amber is there! "So, what did you two do last night while I'm out?"

"U–Urusei yo!" I hissed softly, while blushing, and glaring at her. "It's not what you think!"

"Not what _I_ think?" she replied while crossing her legs on her chair and crossing her arms with a mischievous grin on her face. "The view, from what I'm seeing, tells the story already. And besides, it must feel _really_ good to have someone you care the most sleep next to you, huh?" she said while letting out a giggle, clearly enjoying this view.

"You're lucky I'm still holding Eirika, otherwise I'd–"

"What? What would you do?' Amber said smugly. Dang it, if Amber was a guy, I'd try to beat the crap out of her, but she's a girl, and I don't hit girls…

"Look, she came into my room she was scared of the thunder last night, alright? Nothing else happened." I gritted.

While we were arguing, I heard Eirika groan as she slowly sat up and rubbing her eyes before she looked at me. "Good morning, Kurogasa…" she said with her sleepy smile on her face, and then, when she noticed Amber in the room, she was surprised for a moment. "Amber! W–What are you doing here?!"

"It sure feels good to sleep while holding his hand, huh?" Amber said cheekily as Eirika looked down and still noticed that she's _still_ holding my hand. In the end, she pulled her hand away from mine and looked away with a blush. "I–It's not what you think, Amber!"

"Ugh, could this day get any worse?" I asked myself.

"Kurogasaaaaa~~~!"

"Ugh… me and my big mouth…"

Tana ran into the room and immediately tackled me down off my bed, much to Eirika's surprise as Tana clung on to my arm and kept holding it tightly, much to my dismay.

"T–Tana!" Eirika said shocked as Amber chuckled.

"I was so~~ scared last night! The thunderstorm was so loud I ended up hiding under my blanket! Oh, I really wish you were there to comfort me, Kurogasa!" Tana complained childishly.

Oh… what did I ever do to deserve this?

In the afternoon, the group decided to head out to the nearest village to pile up on our stocks as the journey to Rausten would be a dangerous one. While the group began to pile on some of food for the journey, Eirika approached me as I noticed she had that blush on her face. "Kurogasa… thank you for last night… I was able to sleep peacefully with your company…" she stuttered before I got my own blush after listening to her compliment.

"Um… sure, no problem." I got out.

"Oh my, what's this I'm hearing?" Melissa–sempai asked surprising both of us as she popped out from the caravan.

"Melissa! What are you doing in there?" Eirika asked.

"I was just waiting for Natasha and I overheard the conversation between you too. But I have no ill intentions as it was all but pure accident. Do you believe me, Kurogasa?" Melissa–sempai asked while she looked at me with her neutral look.

"Um… sure, of course." I said.

"It's good to hear that…" Melissa–sempai smiled as she giggled. "My, you've grown up to be a good man, Kurogasa." she complimented me, as I scratched the back of my head, a little embarrassed. Melissa–sempai turned to Eirika. "So, tell me, princess. Have you found the answer to the question that you've asked yourself?"

"Um…" Eirika said while looking down thinking.

"It's okay, dear. Just take your time. I'm sure you'll find it eventually." Melissa–sempai assured her, as Eirika looked at her with a smile and a nod.

"I will…" she told her.

* * *

_Meanwhile, a young pupil who had red hair, wearing a headband, a brown shirt and grey shorts, a cyan cape and brown boots, running around the place as he noticed a person that he was looking for and immediately hugs her in an instant. "I've found you, sister!" the boy cried out happily, causing the dancer to be surprised._

_"Ewan!" Tethys cried out. "How is it… What are you doing here?" She asked before walking up him, giving the boy a hug. "I told you to wait in the inn and behave yourself, didn't I?"_

_"Yeah, but you always run off and disappear." Ewan replied with a grin. "It's not fair. I want to have adventures, too."_

_"You are such an imp…" Tethys sighed. "I am not out here running about having fun, you know?"_

_"I know." Ewan said. "That's why I came to see you. I can help." He said, before pulling out a fire tome. "My teacher finally got around to teaching me some magic. Check this out."_

_"H–Hey!" Tethys cried out as Ewan focused, a ball of flame appearing in his hand. "Knock it off. You shouldn't be using magic here!"_

_"Well, I just thought maybe I could help you work is all." Ewan sighed, closing his hand and putting the fire out. "I can protect you now, Sis. Come on, take me with you. I don't wanna stay in that inn anymore."_

_"Oh… all right." Tethys sighed. "I'll go speak to the Chief and Princess Eirika. Besides, I need to see about something anyway. Don't wander off while I'm gone."_

_"Yahoo!" Ewan cried out, pumping a fist in the air._

* * *

_After a while, they decided to wait outside the city at a nearby forest while Tethys was still nowhere to be seen. "I wonder where she go." Amelia asked._

_"Beats me… she usually has a mind of her own…" Gerik explained._

_Amelia then looked at the quiet Marisa. "What about you, miss? Do you know where she might be?" she asked her, but there was no reply._

_"Don't worry about her. I'm sure she'll come by. I'm sure of it!" Franz assures her, which Amelia nodded in agreement._

_On the other hand, Natasha noticed Mikoto all quiet to herself as she shook her a little bit. "Mikoto, are you alright?"_

_"Ah!" Mikoto got out breaking out from her trance while looking at Natasha with her usual big smile of hers. "Of course I'm alright! What makes you say that?"_

_"Oh… it's nothing. It's just that you've been quiet to yourself since last night…" Natasha said worried as Melissa–sempai joined while Joshua was resting on the horse, taking a nap._

_"If there's something that bothers you, maybe you can tell us?" Melissa–sempai asked her, which Mikoto tried to avert with a big smile._

_"It's alright! I'm fine!" Mikoto replied as Melissa–sempai and Natasha let out a sigh._

_"Such young love…" Melissa–sempai sighed._

* * *

Meanwhile, Prince Innes, Princess Eirika, Seth, Akira and I were having a discussion of our own as we planned out on what would be our next move. "Princess Eirika, Prince Innes." Seth spoke. "I think we should follow the advice we've been given and return to Frelia. Continuing on through Carcino like this is too great a risk to your safety."

"What?! After getting this far, we have to go back?!" Akira asked in disbelief. "B–But I thought we've already discussed this matter…"

"I know that, young man. But from the looks of it, it seems like we have to reconsider the situation…" Seth said.

"Hey, I've got an answer." A red–haired boy said, walking over. "I know a way that leads over the mountains straight to Jehanna! Want me to guide you?"

"Huh?" We all asked.

"Ewan!" Tethys cried out as she ran over. "Shush! You know better than to interrupt people when they're talking." She said, setting a hand on the boy's shoulder. "I'm so sorry. Please let me take my brother out of the way. Come on, Ewan. Let's go."

"No, no– wait please." Eirika began. "Do you _really_ know a route through the mountains?"

"That's what I said." Ewan replied with a grin. "At the top of that mountain, there's a village named Caer Pelyn. That's where my teacher lives. I'm sure he'll lead you through if you ask him nicely."

"What's your teacher's name?" I asked.

"My teacher? His name is Saleh."

"Saleh…" Innes mused. "I've heard that name on the lips of Frelia's spy network lately."

"Is he gonna be a problem?" Akira asked.

"Quite the contrary." Innes replied. "He's a powerful wielder of magic who has been fighting bandits and monsters. The spies mentioned something about a Caer Pelyn, if I remember."

"What do you think?" Eirika asked.

"Hm…" Innes mused. "If my spies are accurate, this Saleh is someone we can trust."

The rest of us pondered on this before Eirika stepped forward. "Very well, Ewan. Will you take us to meet your teacher?"

Tethys was surprised from the answer as the boy was ecstatic. "Are you sure you can do this, Ewan?" She asked.

"Not a problem!" Ewan grinned. "All right, everyone. See if you can keep up!" Ewan said as he ran towards a direction, catching us off guard.

"Ah! Wait, Ewan!" Akira said surprised from the Ewan's reaction.

"That kid's a firecracker." I commented.

"We better hurry! He might face some trouble along the way!" Eirika told us as we began to mount on our horses and Akira and Tethys rode on the caravan. We then headed our way to where Ewan would leads us…

* * *

Alright, there you have it! Hope you enjoyed it! Review!

**Spades:** A, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, J, Q  
**Diamonds:** A, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, **7**, 8, 9, 10, J, Q  
**Hearts:** A, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, J, Q  
**Clubs:** A, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 10, J, **Q**  
**Trial:** A, B


	14. Chapter 11: Creeping Darkness

Hello one and all, it's time for another chapter of Kamen Rider Blade: The Sacred Stones! Let's go!

Disclaimer: Same thing.

* * *

Chapter 11: Creeping Darkness

And so we were led by the boy Ewan who according to him knows a way to get to Jehanna, but in order to get there, we have to pass through a very mountainous path. And man, it's really foggy out. "We're almost there!" We heard Ewan shout out, waving as he turned about to face them. "Come on! My teacher lives just up ahead."

"Slow down, Ewan. Let's stick together." Eirika replied.

"Yeah, it's bad enough we have the fog to deal with," I said.

"And here I thought the fog from Adlas Plains was bad, this is ten times worse!" Storm complained.

"I agree with the fog." Innes agreed. "It's getting thick. I don't expect any more surprise attacks, but that doesn't mean we–"

"Quit worrying, mister!" Ewan waved off. "You're gonna get left behind." Innes twitched his eye in irritation and I think I heard a blood vessel pop.

"…Don't speak to me that way, boy. I don't tolerate insolence." Innes gritted trying to hold in anger, growling at him. I can tell he wants to maul the kid.

"Innes, he's only a child." Eirika gently chided. "There's no reason to be so rude. He is helping us after all."

"That's right. Without me, you'd never get where you're going." Ewan replied making Innes twitch his eye again and pop another blood vessel.

"Why you little–!"

"Whoa~, easy there, cowboy!" Storm said trying to calm him down as he got on the ground deciding to walk while Amber took over his horse. Tana also came to calm down her brother's temper before he could grab the boy's neck and possibly snap it in half or something along those lines.

"That's right, brother! He's just a child! So, there's no need to use your temper on him!" Tana tried persuading.

"If it wasn't for the child, we might have ended up getting lost, Your Highness…" Gilliam informed as Ewan turned around and gave a grin on him.

"That's right. Like I said, without me, you'd never get where you're going." Ewan teased him, clearly annoying Innes to the max before he started to run around again. "So come on already!"

"Like I said, the kid's a firecracker." I said.

"Stop." Innes let off. "Don't take another step." He added, stopping in his tracks as he looked down the path, causing Eirika and everyone to stop. Ewan stopped a moment after, turning to face them.

"Huh? That's gonna make it awfully hard to get where we need to go."

"…What do you know about that fort?" Innes asked. "It looks like it's been abandoned for some time. Is anyone using it?"

"Nope. It's really run–down." Ewan said, "Nobody ever goes there. It's been empty for ages. I've been inside, so I know."

"Is that right?" Innes said, shaking his head. "Then what's that sound, and where is it coming from?"

"Huh? What sound?" Ewan asked, turning to listen. "Hey, you're right… I do hear a weird noise. You could hear that? Neat! You've got really good hearing. I wonder what it is…"

"There it is again." Eirika let off as something shambled from the fog and into their view. "Prince, is this…"

"Big bro…" Akira said worriedly.

"Yeah, we got a problem." I frowned. "Everyone, to arms! We got monsters roaming around the area!" I shouted then mounted off my horse letting Tethys take the horse. Us Riders got on the ground and took our cards and buckles.

"Cards?" Ewan asked confused.

"Henshin!"

**TURN/OPEN UP**

**CHANGE**

Seven Category Aces ejected out from our belts, causing Ewan to look at the cards as it slowly pulled back until the seven of us donned into our respective armors. "Phew, this vision is _much_ better than just using common senses…" Larc muttered while taking out our Rouzers in hand.

"But, even so, the fog still makes our vision bad… well, half bad…" Mikoto told us as the rest of the crew joined in.

"This is going to be interesting indeed. I wonder if they can withstand the flames of my supreme magic." Lute asked herself.

"Dunno, girl… but one thing we _do_ know is if there's something out of the ordinary, we might as well take them out…" Joshua said as he noticed Marisa already prepared to go for an attack with her Shamsir in hand.

"I agree… I wonder if the possibility of the appearance of an Undead would come and ruin the party." Artur said worried, which got Gerik confused by the term.

"Undead? You mean monsters, right?" Gerik corrected him.

"Nope, Undead… this is what those Riders called it…" Kyle informed him.

"Yes, and they are troublesome monsters as well…" Moulder explain until Colm noticed Ewan's shocked expression.

"U–Um… Ewan, w–what's the matter?" Neimi asked.

Much to our surprise, Ewan didn't freak out… instead… "Wow! What kind of a magic _is_ that?!" …yep, he's a happy camper…

"We'll tell you later kid, right now, we got monsters to kill." I said.

* * *

_"What spacious chambers." L'Arachel mused, exploring the fort admiring it. "Hm… A bit musty, but I like it. I've decided. We'll bed here for the night. I do wonder where Rennac disappeared to, though." She said worried. "I told him not to wander off, but…"_

_"Hmph!" Dolza huffed but then noticed something. "Lady L'Arachel, this could be trouble." He said._

_"What is it Dolza?"_

_"Look there! Through that break in the fog…" He said, pointing to the window, "Looks like we've got some nasty creatures running 'bout this place."_

_"…I can't see a thing." L'Arachel admitted as she peered into the fog. "But this can be nothing but good fortune shining down on us again. Losing our way in the mountains and running into these abominations? There can be no doubt: we were brought here to destroy these foul things! Come, Dolza! We fight!"_

_"Gwah ha, ha!" Dolza laughed out, unstrapping the axe at his back. "My heart cries out for battle!"_

* * *

_Amongst the thick forest, two figures walked among the thick fog as one Undead had a moth head with a long snout, feathery shoulder pads with a few antennae popping out not only on its head, but also on its shoulder pads, having a moth wing and sturdy black armor in its disposal. This is the Moth Undead as it began to take a smell with its snout. "Humans… Riders… here… food!"_

_"Yes, I hear you, comrade…" another Undead said as it has a jellyfish head and red eyes, back very light leather armor with an exposed torso, wielding a jellyfish whip on one hand and a blue claw on the other and also have a few tentacles on its armor. This is the Jellyfish Undead._

* * *

"Man, this is freakin' ridiculous!" I shouted slashing a Bonewalker in half. "There's too many!"

"You know what's the _worst_ part?" Forde complained as he noticed the destroyed Bonewalker suddenly regenerate back into one full piece and lashed out an attack onto them, which was parried by his lance. "No matter how many times we've tried to take them out, sooner or later, they'll revive again…"

"Yeah, big bro! This one is on a different class!" Garren added as he roused in three cards onto his Rouzer.

**BULLET**

**RAPID**

**FIRE**

Three cards are conjured out from his Rouzer before it wa absorbed into his armor to initiate the move…

**BURNING SHOT**

"Take this!" Garren shouted before he unleashed a few shots of fireballs onto them, causing the bones to be charred up to the point of their regeneration not help them.

"Man, where's Chalice when we need him?" I said worriedly.

* * *

_Somewhere in the other room, Dolza was happily chopping off some of the imps around with his large axe having a good time while L'Arachel was continuously hitting their heads with her staff. "Take this, you fiend of darkness! Feel the wrath of the light!" L'Arachel shouted as she whacked another one on the bonewalker's head before blinding them with her light, causing some of them to disintegrate in an instant._

_"Gya ha, ha! Destroy! Destroy! Destroy!" Dolza said happily chopping away the bonewalker's spear with his axe before he did another swing at a gargoyle behind him, a gush of greenish blood oozing out from it, making Dolza happy._

_As Chalice entered the hallway, he heard another shout, much to his confusion. "There's another group fighting here as _well_?" Chalice said to himself before he entered the hallway and found out L'Arachel and Dolza was having a good time killing off the enemies. "Oh great… it's Hansel and Gretel…" Chalice deadpanned under his mask._

_"Hahaha! Oh, another one! And it's a strange one at that!" Dolza said as he suddenly ran over to Chalice and tried to hit him much to Chalice's surprise who had no time to react._

_*SLASH!*_

_"Iteee!" Chalice cringed. "Dolza you idiot! What are you doing?!"_

_"Gya ha, ha! And this one knows my name? It's even _better_!" Dolza perked up before Chalice had no other choice but to defend himself with his Arrow in hand. The swings made from Dolza were strong enough to shatter a nearby wall, which he demonstrated by dodging to the side._

_"Yabai! If that swing caught on me, I'm so screwed, even _with_ my armor on!" Chalice gulped before he dodged another swing from Dolza. The cleaving from his axe clearly managed to force Chalice to crash through the wall, as Dolza just laughs at it for a job well done._

_"Gya ha, ha! That monster really puts on a good show!" Dolza said in his mighty tone as Chalice pushed away some piles of bricks all over him, clearly annoyed._

_"Dang it all! I have no choice but to use this!" He said as he roused a card._

**SPIRIT**

_Dolza took a few steps back as he and L'Arachel were surprised to see the Spirit Human appear behind him and being absorbed into his armor, cancelling Chalice's transformation and reverting back to civilian mode._

_"Kurai?!" L'Arachel said surprised._

_"Oh?! Gya ha, ha! What a surprise, Kurai! What brings you here?" Dolza asked._

_"You idiot! You tried to _kill_ me! I was _in_ that armor!" Kurai snapped._

_"Oh? In that strange armor? Is that so?" Dolza said with slight confusion before he let out a laugh. "Gya ha, ha! Why didn't you just _say_ so?"_

_"I tried to tell you earlier!" Kurai complained as the three were surrounded by a group of bonewalkers, aiming their swords and lances onto them. "We don't have time for this, we should take them out now!" Kurai declared before he took out another card on his hand. "Henshin!"_

**CHANGE**

_A hologram projected out from his buckle, hitting the targets right in front of him before Kurai held his Chalice Arrow tightly and dashed through the hologram, where he donned in his armor once again. "He's right, Dolza! Let's purify this place from these demons!" L'Arachel told her berserker as she held her staff high. "To battle!"_

* * *

**ABSORB QUEEN**

Garren, Leangle, and I had our Rouze Absorbers on placing our respective Queen cards in them before sliding out Jack cards through the reader.

**FUSION JACK**

With the declaration, the three of us had our respective plaques on our Rouse Absorber to gain our Jack Form. We can't fly high due to the battle occurring in the fort, but that doesn't mean we can't slash _through_ them in a straight line. I gripped my Rouzer tightly and both Garren and I glided through them. As we passed through them, cuts were made as Garren's upgraded Rouzer was able to emit flames while my Rouzer emitted the electricity. They were able to weaken their ability to regenerate. Meanwhile, Leangle was able to block all of the arrows and javelins that were thrown at her direction with her large bracers on hers arm before she twirled around her upgraded Rouzer and stabbed the approaching gargoyle with her Rouzer. Right after that, she delivered a back hand attack, shattering the bonewalker's skull through the wall before smashing its whole skeletons with her free hand, swinging her arm downward to crush it into dust, thus making it unable to regenerate.

"It's working, big bro! My plan really works!" Garren told me as both of us landed on the ground near her and Leangle also pulled back her upgraded Rouzer as she also looked around.

"Yes, they are showing to slow down in numbers for now…" Leangle told me.

"Then let's get keep on going!" I said as we kept breaking through the enemy monsters.

**SLASH**

**THUNDER**

The holograms entered my armor so I can initiate the attack.

**LIGHTNING SLASH**

My Rouzer crackled with electricity as I ran through the number of monsters like there's no tomorrow. I tried slashing at a gargoyle, but then my attack was blocked by something… jelly–like. "Huh?" I blinked. At that point, another figure knocked me back and I rolled on the ground a few times.

"Big bro! What's wrong?!' Garren asked me before he noticed his hand wrapped in a jelly–like whip, also being pulled back and got himself a punch from it, knocking him down in the process.

"Oh my, what _is_ that thing?" Leangle said surprised. It turned out to be the Jellyfish Undead as it let out a spark onto Leangle. The attack was canceled out from her large bracers and she dash forward to deliver a strong punch. Much to her surprise, the attack went _through _it as its whole body was now liquefied, having no physical shape before it delivered a back kick onto Leangle's back, causing her to tumble forward while groaning in pain.

"Crap, we got the Jellyfish Undead to deal with…" I gritted standing up.

"You got other things to worry about, Blade." A voice said. Coming next to the Jellyfish Undead was… crap, the Moth Undead.

The Moth Undead lashed its hands forward throwing motes of some sort of red spore at us and when it was within contact, mini explosion occurred, causing us to be blown back to the wall before we landed on the ground, face first. The Moth Undead shifted its attention to Leangle, who just got up as it grabbed her neck and collected some spores on its hand before palming it onto her chest armor, creating an explosion as she also hits to the back of the wall and fell down, grunting in pain as well.

"It was a perfect opportunity to attack you while you're being occupied by other monsters…" the Jellyfish Undead smirked.

"Now then… entertain us more!" the Moth Undead said as it rushed forward. Where the heck is Chalice?!

* * *

_"Yah!" Seth yelled out before he swung his sword onto one of the ghouls that tries to attack him with its filthy claw._

_"Argh, they keep coming!" Kyle said annoyed before he thrusted his lance onto one of the ghoul's head._

_"The only way to lessen them is to take them down and put them to rest!" Gilliam added as he swung his lance onto the imp. Amelia tries to push the bonewalker away as she managed to thrust it through its body but it didn't work as it pushed her lance away and delivered a kick onto Amelia. She tumble down and was on the ground, defenseless as the enemy was right in front of her, ready to slay her down with its sword. She could only cover herself before a slash was heard. When she looked at it, she noticed the bonewalker was cut in half as Franz was there. "Amelia, are you okay?"_

_"I–I'm fine…" Amelia got out. "I guess I need a bit more training."_

_"Don't worry; you'll get the hang of it…" Franz said as he offered his hand to her to help her to get back on her feet. Amelia looked at him with a smile before she grabs it and got herself up and both of them resume where they left off._

* * *

_Up at the sky, Tana and Vanessa handled the battle with the evil eyes at the sky as they manage to take them out with their javelin. "Ugh, not only these things keep coming from out of nowhere, the fog makes it worse!" Tana complained as she managed to avoid one of the rings that were being shot from it, hidden among the shadows._

_"Yes, princess. But in order to get to our destination, we must face it, just like we faced the Undead…" Vanessa assured her before she managed to thrust her lance through the eye. Larc also joined in with her Trial A form as she fluttered her wings and unleashed a few shots at them with her accuracy due to her vision._

_"Father Moulder, please cast some torch around here! We have no idea how many of these bug eye freaks are left!" Larc shouted down at him on the ground._

_"Very well." Moulder said as he raised a Torch staff into the air and a very bright shone from the staff. The light was so bright that it blinded some of the monsters and the fog was being lifted. Soon, there was no more fog. "Now's the time to strike!"_

_"Alright!" Amber shouted as she noticed there were a lot more than before as some of them were covering their eyes from the sudden bright light. "Ah, fish cake…"_

_"Indeed… but we must press on if we want to get to our destination!" Tana shouted before she charged forward with her lance in hand as her Pegasus moved forward._

_"Wait, Princess! Don't charge forward all alone!" Vanessa shouted before both she and Larc followed suit to make sure Tana doesn't get hurt._

* * *

_"Cast of Fire!" Ewan shouted waving his hand around before aiming one of the fireballs to the ghoul, making it engulfed into flames, burning it down to the ground. "Yes! Did you see that, sis?!"_

_"Ewan, look out!" Tethys shouted as she managed to grab her brother and dodge one of the arrows that were aiming for him. Innes fills in the spot with Neimi as both of them shoot out an arrow towards the bone archers._

_"Are you two okay?" Innes asked them._

_"D–Did both of you got I–injured?" Neimi said concerned over both of them._

_"We're fine." Tethys got out._

_"That was a close one too." Ewan said in relief._

_"Then, get to the caravan. We'll handle things from here…" Innes said before Neimi took the front, while reloading her arrow on her horse._

* * *

_Meanwhile, Ross, Colm and Lance are now back–to–back as they were surrounded by two Minotaur and a fetid ghoul, a stronger version of normal ghoul. "Hm… how should we handle this?" Colm asked._

_"I can take down that fetid ghoul… but those two Minotaur are bothersome…" Ross replied._

_"Yeah, even their speed is quite troublesome as well… they can even match up with mine…" Colm said concerned._

_"Still we gotta beat these guys!" Storm said as he roused a card._

**MIGHTY**

_One of the Minotaur charged forward as Lance's Mighty Impact was absorbed into his lance and unleashed a diagonal slash onto one of the Minotaur's axe attack. Both attacks connected and the axe wielded by Minotaur was shattered before its body was cut in half, away from the lower part of its body. The wounds on it turned solid as the Minotaur dropped dead onto the ground. "C'mon! Let's take these things down while we're at it!" Lance commanded both of them._

* * *

_"See how you like this!" Lute said as she casted an Elfire at an evil eye, burning it to a crisp. She then switched tomes, this time a Thunder tome. She chanted and lightning struck down on a gargoyle._

_"May the blessed light drive you from this land!" Artur said as he held up his staff while holding a Shine tome and shot a beam of light onto a group of evil eyes creating multiple sparks of light, burning the eyes in the process._

_"Ha~~h!" Glaive yelled as she dashed forward with Marisa at her side and Gerik followed suit as the three of them slashed out the ogres right in front of them and they were quick on their feet as they managed to block some of the club swings from it. After a slight break, three different slashes from the three of them landed in three different spots, forming a triangle before the three slashes appeared on one of the ogres and it split into 6 different chunks of meat._

_"…it's not strong…" Marisa said as she swings her blade to let the blood of the ogre off from her sword._

_"Yeah, I know that, Marisa… at least it makes your sword satisfied by cutting through some enemies, right?" Gerik asked her._

_"Yes, Chief…" Marisa replied._

* * *

_"Just when will this ever end?!" Garcia said annoyed hacking at a ghoul, slicing it in half._

_"Natasha, watch out!"_

_Natasha was surprised from Joshua's shout as he managed to push her aside, but he got his shoulder a deep cut from the gargoyle that dived down before it ascended back up. "Joshua!"_

_Joshua felt the pain on his right arm before he held his weapon on his other hand and took his stance once again. The gargoyle took the advantage of his injury diving down once again, only to see two more mirages of Joshua, which indicated that he's going to pull off a skill of his own. When the gargoyle thrusted its spear towards Joshua, it noticed it stabbed nothing more than a mirage before the real Joshua cut away its wings, making it tumble down on the ground before Gilliam finished it off with a stab of his lance onto its head, making it an instant kill._

_"Well, that takes care of that…" Joshua said with a grin before the wound on his shoulder took its effect. Natasha immediately ran toward his direction as he was gripping the wound tightly. "Tch… that one really hits the mark…"_

_"Joshua!" Natasha cried out as he ran towards him checking on the wound he received. "Are you alright?" she asked concerned._

_"Ugh. Yeah… But it's only a scratch." he told her with his grin as he tried to apply the pressure onto the wound. "Still, if you could… take care of it. Please?"_

_"Yes…" Natasha replied as she immediately started to heal his wound with her staff. At that time, she began to wonder about all of the good things Joshua has done. From saving her life by Joshua betraying the Grado side, followed by the shove to protect her from the giant arrow that was heading towards her and even he offers his trench coat just to make sure her dress doesn't stained from the raining blood. After a while in silence, the wound on his shoulder gone and Joshua was able to rotate his arm around again. "All done…"_

_"Thanks." he said with a smile, which made Natasha have a slight blush. "…Say, Natasha. Want to make a bet?"_

_Natasha was a bit surprised as she looked at him. "On what? If this is another of your little jokes, I–"_

_"Will I make you happy? That's what we'll bet on. Are you in, or what?" Joshua offered, catching Natasha off guard as her blush got more obvious._

_"W–What?"_

_"That's everything I've got. I can't up the ante anymore." he told her before he flicked the coin and catches it in his hand. "So how about it? Are you in?"_

_"Are you… serious?"_

_"Look into my eyes, and decide for yourself." he said to her as Natasha looked at his innocent gaze, as he was serious about it. She had that pain in her chest as she placed her palm on it. She tried to look away from his gaze as her blush is now as red as a tomato._

_"…I…"_

_""I serve the people," is that it?" he said with a sigh before he looked at her eyes. "Listen, does it make any difference if you serve them in Grado or Renais? You can come with me. It'll work out, you'll see. I'll make it work." he assured her._

_"Joshua…" she said in a low tone before Joshua took her hand gently._

_"Natasha." he replied gently tone as she looked down to make up for her decision. She began to recall some of the advices from Melissa._

* * *

'I know you're a cleric and as such, a religious person, just like me. You've given your life over to a divine calling. But would the Everlasting _not_ smile upon the love shared by its creations?'

'Just follow your heart…'

* * *

_"I will…" Natasha wanted to reply, as Joshua anticipates her answer as their hands are still held. "…accept your wager."_

_"You will?" he asked her._

_"What I'm betting is my future. My happiness."_

_"Natasha…" Joshua got out. "Hmph… I can't afford to lose _this_ one."_

_"You're right… And I hope from the bottom of my heart that you win." she assured him as Joshua looks back at her with a confident grin._

_"Don't worry. In a pinch, I _never_ lose. Well, I mean, I lose _sometimes_. But not _this_ time!"_

_"At least…you won our _last_ bet." Natasha said as she looked down while her blush didn't go away._

_"Hm?" Joshua asked confused as he tried to recall what the bet was… until it hit him. "Oh! Oh, yeah… That you'd fall for me!" he said to her, as Natasha could only nod in silence. "…That was easy." he said while scratching the back of his head with his left hand. "This bet, this is going to be a tough one. I'm gonna have to work at it." he added before he tilted Natasha's blushing face gently with his hand, making both of their gazes met once again. "But knowing that I've won one bet already, at least I've got that."_

_"This war is terrible… but at least it brought us together." Natasha smiled gently._

_"Yeah… for now, I better end this war so I can win that bet." Joshua told her before he stood up and held his sword in his hand. "And I'll be sure to protect you with my life, Natasha." he said before he gets into his stance as a few more ghouls appeared a few meters away from them. As Eirika thrusted her rapier onto the ghoul's head, she made a fatal stab that ended the ghoul and dropped down to the ground._

* * *

_"Princess, go help Kurogasa inside! I have a bad feeling about this!" Garcia told her._

_"Are you sure?" she asked him._

_"Yes, don't worry about us! We can take them down!" he told her._

_"Alright!" Eirika said then ran off._

* * *

Man, this battle has been going on forever, but we were getting the hang of it as the two Undead we're facing were getting tired. It's time I finished this off. And it starts with sealing that Moth Undead.

**KICK**

**THUNDER**

**MACH**

The three holograms entered by body as the Rouzer initiated the attack.

**LIGHTNING SONIC**

After the initiation, the whole surrounding was in slow motion as I leaped high to the sky and tried to deliver the kick. As the kick closed is, from out of nowhere, the Jellyfish Undead was in front of it, changing itself into a liquid form as it trapped me inside the blue goop, causing the attack to be canceled out. "We won't let you have it your way!" the Moth Undead declared before it let out a few explosive spores onto me, causing me to tumble back to Garren and Leangle. The three of us were getting tired while the Jellyfish Undead solidified back into one.

"Doushita, Blade? We're also tired, but that doesn't mean we would let our guard down." Jellyfish Undead taunted us as the three of us slowly pushes ourselves up.

"I think… we're reaching our limits…" Leangle panted after taking the beating from those explosives spores.

"Kurogasa!" A voice cried out. We all turned to see… Eirika?!

"Oh no! Big sis, get away!" Garren urged. But it was too late as the Jellyfish Undead suddenly grabbed Eirika, holding her hostage.

"Eirika!" I got out.

"Don't take another step." The Jellyfish Undead said. "Unless you want this girl to be harmed." It added as its tentacles extended and went squirming all over Eirika's body, and some of it going to places where it _shouldn't_ go. Dang it, why is it that when it comes to tentacles, there has to be some hentai reference to it?! This isn't helping!

"Let go of me, you fiend!" Eirika tried to struggle from its binds until she noticed that a tentacle was… getting into her clothes?! Eirika noticed that and blushed madly. "Where do you think you're touch– ahh!" She got out. Dang it, stop it with the hentai reference!

"Will you stop it already?!" I shouted blushing madly under my mask.

"Oh? But I think I'm enjoying it." The Jellyfish Undead smirked as its tentacles went to places it should never go inside her clothes and added a little jolt to Eirika making her moan out.

"STOP!" I shouted.

**SPINNING DANCE**

"Huh?" both of the Undead said surprised from the sudden voice before a tornado–like drop kick drilled onto the unexpected Jellyfish Undead, causing it to release Eirika and fell to her knees. The kick forced the Undead to lean against the other side of the wall before it exploded and laid down there motionless. The Moth Undead was caught off guard as Chalice delivered a roundhouse kick and a downward slash, forcing it to take a few steps back as he stood right in front of us.

"Sorry for the delay…" Chalice muttered out.

"Kurai!" Leangle noticed.

"What _took_ you so long?!" Garren snapped.

"Look, I'm sorry alright…" Chalice sighed.

Meanwhile, I ignored all of that as I immediately ran to over Eirika. "Eirika!" I cried out. She looked at me and immediately hugged me tight, crying, and she trembled hard. I can't blame her though. She was outright violated!

"Look on the bright side… at least her _purity_ is still intact…" Chalice muttered before he shifted his attention to the Undead. "To do such lewd things on the innocent girl… you Undead are truly an eyesore…" Chalice said angrily before he took out two cards and roused it onto his Arrow.

**BIO**

**CHOP**

When the Bio Plant and Chop Hammerhead entered into his armor, vines suddenly sprout out from the wall, tying it up before he dashed forward with the power of chop on his hand. "Dai Setsudan!" Chalice declared before he delivered a devastating chop onto its chest, causing the wall to be destroyed before an explosion occurred. "That takes care of that…" Garren and Leangle took out the Proper Blanks and sealed the Undead.

* * *

Everyone, along with to our surprise L'Arachel and Dolza, soon regrouped and I led Eirika back inside the caravan. It was only just the two of us inside. She held onto me tight, still crying and trembling. "It's okay… I'm right here…" I told softly trying to comfort her as best I could.

"I can't believe… I've been violated… by those fiends…" she said in between sobs as her trembling doesn't seem to be slowing down at all.

"I don't believe it either…" I said. "But I won't let it happen to you again… I promise… I'll protect you…"

I made a promise with her brother Ephraim that I'll be sure to keep her safe. I made a mistake once and learned it so these things won't ever happen to her again, especially that nightmare of mine. If I failed to protect her, I can never forgive myself…

* * *

_While Kurogasa tried to calm Eirika down, Kurai took over his part as L'Arachel and Dolza couldn't believe from what he just explained to her. "So… you were actually a hero of some sort under that armor all this time, Kurai? And you're not alone?" L'Arachel asked him._

_"Yeah… but I wasn't able to transform without my card… hence, the reason I always kept my Arrow safe…" Kurai explained. "Also, there's something you need to know…"_

_"Kurai… is it really okay?" Seth asked him._

_"We don't know if we could trust them…" Kyle said while being suspicious of the duo._

_"It's alright." he assured them. "I know her very well since the day I've been recruited by her on a mission before meeting all of you guys. If you must know, the one with blue hair inside the caravan… she's the Princess of Renais, Eirika."_

_"Oh? Is that so? That's the reason why I felt a different aura from her…" L'Arachel pondered. "And how strange that we should meet again in this place, Kurai. You must be lost as well. This continent is so confusing!"_

_"Um, actually, we're not…" Akira told her, making L'Arachel blinked a few times before Akira explained the whole thing to her. _

_After a while, L'Arachel eventually understood their situation. "Is that so! Well, clearly, I must be allowed to accompany you." she offered._

_"Huh? Are you sure? Because the last thing I don't want to happen is getting lost to another place before reaching some other village…" Kurai teased with his serious eyes and a slight smile on his face, making L'Arachel flustered._

_"I'll have you know, I have a great sense of direction!" L'Arachel huffed stomping her foot while puffing a cheek._

_"Well, either way, you sure you wanna do this?" Kurai asked her again as she had a smile on her face._

_"Of course, Kurai! There can be no doubt that we were sent here to aid you. It is all part of the grand design." she said triumphantly as she pointed her staff to the sky. "I, L'Arachel, shall play my role and fulfill my divine duties. This I swear!"_

_"Are you sure it's a wise move, Kurai?" Seth asked me._

_"Don't worry about it, Seth… I know what I'm doing…" Kurai assured him._

_"Yes, she has no ill intention, so it's alright to bring her along with us as well…" Melissa added as L'Arachel nodded happily before turning to her loyal berserker._

_"…Well, that's that, Dolza." L'Arachel began. "You and I are now traveling with Eirika and her companions."_

_"Gwah ha, ha!" He laughed out. "I understand. For you, Lady L'Arachel, I would do absolutely anything! I would run to the ends of this world and dive into a sea of evil!"_

_"How very like you, my dear, dedicated Dolza!" L'Arachel cooed. "So noble! Come! We're off!"_

_"Gwah ha, ha!"_

* * *

By nightfall, the caravan arrived at a hut that Ewan led us to, and by now, Eirika calmed down… mostly. "Teeeaaacher… Hellooooooo…" Ewan called out as he ran into the hut. "That's strange. He's not here." He let off as he checked the room. "Must be out wandering again."

"Looks like we'll have to wait for him. Do you know when he'll be back?" I asked as I entered in with Eirika.

"Hmmm… I don't know." Ewan shrugged. 'He often goes out and looks for people in need."

"Really? Wow, he must be a really good teacher!" Tana added.

"I know, right? That's why I always wanted to go on an adventure!" Ewan told us.

"…I believe I told you it would be best to stay away." the voice said sternly voice as he entered the hut. Some of us surprised to see the same man from Serafew the other day as he continued to speak. "I've been charged with a mission and must depart again soon."

"Ah! Teacher!" Ewan exclaimed.

"Wait a minute, aren't you the guy we met at Serafew?" I asked.

"Yes, we have met before, haven't we?" Eirika added, looking over the grey haired man. "You were looking for someone… Ewan says your name is Saleh."

"…Oh, yes. And that is my name." The man replied with a nod. "And now we meet again."

"These people say they want to go through Caer Pelyn." Ewan told him, smiling softly. "I could guide them myself, but I thought it might be better if you went, too. That's why I brought them here. What do you say? Will you guide them?" He asked.

Saleh stayed silent for a moment until, "…Very well. I'm heading there now." Saleh said with a nod. "If you need to go to Caer Pelyn, you're free to follow me." He added as Innes stepped inside.

"You don't mind?" Eirika asked softly.

"We have little interest in the outside world, but we do not refuse travelers." Saleh replied. "I should warn you: the road is not easy, and you look very weary."

"It's been difficult traveling here." I said.

"Then please, rest a night before attempting the mountains." The man smiled.

"This is true." Innes said, gaining the attention of the people in the room. "We are all exhausted from our encounter with those creatures."

"No kidding… the sudden appearance of monsters really made us tired…" Amber said.

"Yes… I agree… my whole body felt weary because of the Undead…" Melissa–sempai replied as she leaned on Kurai for support.

"Ah, fiddle sticks! I thought we can continue on with our adventure!" L'Arachel complained.

"Gwah ha, ha! I understand how you feel, Lady L'Arachel!" Dolza added.

"As soon as everyone gets their rest, only _then_ we can continue our destination… we should do what the sage asked us to do for now…" Kurai added.

"Yes, there are some people who are left for us to treat their wounds, so this is a good time to do so…" Natasha said.

"It's settled then." Ewan said. "I'll go on ahead and let the elder know we're coming. See? Even when there's no fighting to be done, I'm still useful!" He said before running out of the house.

"Hey, wait!" I called out, but he was already gone.

"I wonder if he'll be all right." Eirika sighed softly.

"Idiotic boy." Innes grumbled. "I understand his need to be helpful, but…"

"Ewan knows this land well." Saleh replied. "You needn't worry about him."

* * *

That night, everyone camped near the hut while we Riders and royalty were given the hut to sleep in for the night. I couldn't sleep though for some reason. Maybe because of what happened today.

"Kurogasa?"

When I heard the voice and turned around, I noticed Tana was still up and looked at me in a sleepy tone. "Why are you still awake?" she asked me.

"Couldn't sleep." I answered.

"Me neither…" she added before she walked and sat down next to me as both of us looked at the beautiful starry night. It's been a while since I've seen many stars ever since we got here; not to mention there wasn't much at the city area due to the number of street lights that makes the view harder to see. "I heard what happened from Akira. I feel bad for Eirika about what happened to her because of what that fiend did to her…"

"Yeah… I know…" I said shaking my head. "Now I'm _definitely_ gonna be keeping an eye on Eirika."

"Then… would you do the same for me as well?" Tana asked me. I was caught off guard when she clung onto my arm and leaned her head on my shoulder. "Whenever I'm in trouble, would you do the same to me as well, Kurogasa?"

"Um… sure, I guess…" I got out. "Wait a minute, what's _this_ all of a sudden?"

"When we first met… I thought that you were just a normal mercenary…" she began… wait a minute, is this what I _think_ it is?! "When I was held captured in Mulan, I saw how you fought that general to protect Eirika in that armor of yours, and it made me think, who was the person with such strength and skill? After you revealed to me that you're the one in that blue armor, I was impressed about it… and I thought by telling Eirika that I'll take you instead of her, I was only joking that time since I already knew she liked you…" she told me in a shy tone.

"Wait a minute, are you saying that–" I got out.

It was then she took my hand and placed it… on her chest?! Yabai, this isn't good! "Can you feel it? The pain I had in here?" she said as she was blushing madly, and so did I! "When you left the castle to rescue Ephraim, it somehow made me worried about your condition and after seeing you come back with a smile on your face, I couldn't help it but go to you and hug you tightly. I know that I wanted to help Eirika to gather the courage so that she can understand what she felt in there, but… in the end, I also fell for it…"

"Wait, Tana… are you–" I got out trying to consider the situation before she looked at me with her beautiful blue eyes.

"Kurogasa, I have fallen in love with you!" she declared as her blush got more obvious and the beat I felt from my hand on her chest, getting stronger. Okay, this is the biggest what–the–heck bomb that's been dropped on me! I've only been in this world for a few months, and now Tana just confessed to me. "I just had to say it now Kurogasa. Holding it in will just create more regrets for me. So here I am saying it. I'm in love with you, Kurogasa."

"I… I…" I got out. Tana was anticipating my answer as I tried to recall about some of those tackles she always did to me. "So… the whole reason why you always tackle me down to the ground is because of your care for me?"

"Yes!" she replied in a heartbeat, leaving me blushing. "Because of that, I went out from the castle to follow you and Eirika! When I saw you safe and sound, you have no idea how happy I was to see you…"

"And about what you said earlier today–"

"I'm telling the truth on how I feel… everything I said is the truth. I really hoped you would be there for me to comfort me from those thunderstorms…" she explained as she looked down shyly. Is this what Storm have been through with Amber? If it is, now I know how he feels…

"I…" I got out before I felt her forefinger pressed on my lip.

"You don't have to answer me today though…" Tana assured me with her sincere smile. "Just get your feelings in order first and then when you've come to a decision, then you can answer."

"O–Ok…" I nodded dumbly.

She then approached to my cheek and landed a peck on it before she lets go of my hand that was held on her chest the entire time before she stood up and turned away. "Whatever answer you give me, I'll accept it… please, consider my feelings too, okay?"

"Ok…" I got out.

* * *

The next morning, everyone got up having a hearty breakfast. Amber did the cooking once again; I haven't eaten anything from my plate though, after last night, I just didn't feel like eating. "Hey buddy, what's wrong?" Storm asked me.

"Huh?" I said snapping out of my trance.

"You haven't taken a bite out of your breakfast." Storm said.

"Oh… well, actually…" I said. "Here, come with me." I said as I led Storm away from the table outside the hut, leading him behind it.

"What's up?" Storm asked.

"Storm… have you ever had another girl other than Amber confess their feelings to you?" I asked.

"Huh? What's with the question out of the blue? You know she's the only one I care about, right? And besides, you know me very well that most of the girls, except Amber, can't understand me _really_ well back in our place, remember?" he asked me as I tried to recall about it… come to think of it, he's a loyal person and doesn't seem like to do things behind her back, hence the reason why she loves him and our friendship lasted a very long time.

"I know that… but…" I got out.

"But what? Did something happen while we're asleep?" he asked me catching me off guard with that question of his, startling me.

"Well…" I got out. "Tana… confessed her love to me last night…"

"Eh?" Storm was confused as he blinked a before he regained his marbles. 'Wait, I thought that you liked Eirika."

"I know that, but… Tana's sudden confession _really_ caught me off guard and I don't know what to say to her…" I explained to him.

"Wow, buddy… two princesses chasing to get your attention. One princess is someone you have feelings for and the other one had her feelings on you… a love triangle…" he chuckled, which he finds a little funny. THIS WASN'T FUNNY AT ALL!

"C'mon Storm! I'm serious here!" I snapped rather angrily.

"I know that already… but… this is one of those times where I can't help you…" he explained to me.

"Why would you say that?" I asked him.

"Remember what I told you at the lake? There are times where you have to decide on your own and I can't be there to help you out. This is one of those times…"

"Great…" I sighed as I had a hand over my eyes.

Storm then placed his hand on my shoulder. "I'm sorry if I can't help you out, man… you're just going through what _I_ went through… well, with a little obstacle of course…" he added.

"I know… thanks anyways, I guess…" I said then left rather, a little depressed.

* * *

As the sun shone brightly, when I approached towards the caravan, Eirika was there as she patted on her horse. She noticed and looked at me with a smile on her face. "Kurogasa…"

"Eirika…" I manage to get out before–

"Kurogasaaaaa~~~!" Oh man… must I endure this every time she calls out for my name?

"OOOFT!"

A tackle from my side made me fall to the ground, and as usual, Tana held tightly onto me, much to Eirika's dismay. "T–Tana! Please get off of him!" Eirika called out as Tana pushed herself up while she was still on top of me, looking at her friend with her usual childish attitude.

"Why? He doesn't seem to mind at all, right, Kurogasa?" Tana said to me with a smile.

"I might as well get used to it…" I sighed in defeat.

Tana looked at me with her smile as I recalled what happened last night. She confessed her love to me last night and I still don't have the answer for her question. Of all times, why didn't Amber intervene like how I tried to confess my love to Eirika? I was _really_ hoping that would happen at that time… and the look on Eirika's face was hinted with slight jealousy from Tana's approach to me, and that doesn't help me one bit…

"It seems everyone has been prepared to move… shall we depart?" Saleh asked as he walked out from the hut.

"Yes, l–lets depart." Eirika got out. I got up and we were about to go until I saw something in the sky… it was…

"Incoming Wyvern Riders!" I shouted. Everyone noticed as a few Wyvern Riders approaching us as they landed calmly on the ground. It was then the man in red armor began to speak. "Princess of Renais. Hold!"

"Grado's general…" Innes said in angry.

"Who? You…" Eirika tried to recall. "You're General Glen of Grado. We met once in the capital, didn't we?"

"You know him?" I asked her.

"Only once…" Eirika replied to me before turning back to Glen. "You were very kind to me. However, if you're here now, I have to assume this means…"

"Yes, it does." Glen replied. "I wish our reunion could come under different circumstances. Eirika, I must tell you, I come here on the direct orders of the Emperor. I'm to bring to justice the rebel army leader who's been terrorizing Carcino."

"Rebel?" I asked.

"It's you, Eirika." Glen continued. "They say you've been murdering innocents."

"What?" Eirika gasped. "Wait! What do you mean? I…"

"…If you have something to say, I would hear it." Glen spoke calmly. "I know all too well that Grado has robbed you of your homeland, but even so… I do not believe revenge could drive a woman like you to such depths. And yet… here you are in Carcino with a small army under your command. And the Emperor tells us that you massacred everyone in Port Kiris."

WHAT?!

"Now hold on just a minute!" I protested. "Eirika would _never_ do that!"

"…This is ridiculous." Innes sighed in annoyance as he stood in front of Eirika. "Believe what you want. Could one of the legendary Imperial Three honestly be as stupid as this?"

"…What do you mean?" Glen asked, eyes narrowing.

"Carcino betrayed Frelia and set a pack of mercenary dogs to kill me." Innes replied. "And you paint Eirika a rebel instigator? It's an absurd farce. Your Emperor commits horrors, and you believe Eirika is a criminal?"

"…What are you saying?" Glen growled out.

"Big bro! Don't you see?! The Emperor has somehow used you for his benefits!" Akira joined in as Tana and Mikoto tried to calm both of them down.

"Please, brother! There's no need to add more trouble!" Tana pleaded.

"Yeah, we had enough troubles already with the Undead!" Mikoto added.

"Besides, the General doesn't attack us yet, right? So, it's a good chance to let him listen to our part of our story." L'Arachel pointed out.

"General Glen, we've told you what we know to be true, what we've seen firsthand. We don't want to fight you… But if you push us, we will drive you back to Grado with your tail between your legs." she warned him as Storm and I stepped forward.

"Yeah, this is all the act of defense on our side, right buddy?" Storm added.

"Yeah…"

"…I see." Glen replied. "You… are more observant than you know. I am ignorant of the Emperor's designs. General Duessel and I both questioned the wisdom of this war. And if you really _are_ innocent of the crimes attributed to you… Why would His Majesty lie to us? I must know the answer."

"So, you… _believe_ us?" Eirika asked.

"The Princess Eirika I met long ago was kind and merciful in spirit." Glen began. "You've faced relentless hardship, and yet that selfsame spirit remains true. …Let's put our fight aside for now. I will learn the truth. Then I will once again perform the duties of my office. If you have lied to me today, I will hound you to the very grave itself."

"Very well…" Eirika accepted.

"Now go… before I change my mind…" Glen warned as the rest returned back to the caravan and their horses before heading out to our destination.

"Is it really okay to leave it just as it is? I mean, they can attack us from behind or something…" Vanessa said concerned.

"Don't worry; I trust that he will keep his word." Eirika assured her.

* * *

_After a while, Glen could see no more of the caravan. He was about to leave until… Valter arrived. "Glen." He began, running a hand past his hair. "Where do you think you're going?"_

_"Valter…" Glen hissed back._

_"Tsk, tsk." Valter chided. "What am I to make of this? Those little birds I saw flitting away into the mountains looked vaguely familiar. What do you suppose would happen if it were known you let Eirika escape?"_

_"Do as you will." Glen spat. "I'm returning to the capital. I have questions for the Emperor. Clear the path, Valter."_

_"Hold on now. No reason to rush off, is there? After all, this is where you're going to die. See?" Valter said oddly cheerful and crazy at the same time._

_"…What are you babbling about?" Glen asked cautiously._

_"Heh heh…" Valter let off, guiding his own wyvern forward. "We were a grand trio– the Imperial Three: you, Duessel and me. But my place among you was stolen, and I was exiled from Grado."_

_"You slaughtered people who had no intention of fighting!" Glen snapped. "The Emperor's punishment was just and warranted!"_

_"Heh, heh… heh, heh, heh…" Valter chuckled out, his free hand gripping his forehead, insanity being in his eyes. "After my fall from glory, only desire kept me alive. Desire for revenge. My hatred burned so fierce that I was only barely able to keep my sanity. That hatred keeps me warm still today. Oh, how it burns…" He let off, "Hear me, Glen, Wyvern General of the Imperial Three. I live for battle. I crave it. I have no need for peace. That is why you must die." He hissed out crazily._

_"You cur!" Glen cursed before he rode his Wyvern to his with a spear in hand as Valter was able to avoid the thrust from Glen. _

_Valter lets out a sinister laugh at that. "A battle between generals… Sends the spirit soaring, eh? Come, Glen! Entertain me! Hahahahahahahaha!" Valter laughed sinisterly before the two clash blades between each other. They kept passing back and forth, blocking and attacking with each thrust they made. In one big collision, both Wyverns clashed as well making both men battle longer with nowhere to escape. "Yes! Yes! This is what I craved for!"_

_"You'll pay for this madness, Valter!" Glen shouted as the two continued to clash with each other. Much to Glen's surprise, the madness of Valter with Obsidian in his hand caused him to continue to be in defense, trying his best to block it from getting stabbed on his armor… until it was too late._

_"Suffer this pain, Glen!" Valter shouted at him before he thrusts his Obsidian at Glen's shoulder, the one that holds his spear, piercing through his flesh. Valter twisted his Obsidian in an instant, causing his arm to be separated from his arm, along with his lance._

_"AHHHHHHH!"_

_"Hahahahahahahaha! And now you die!" Valter said in a craze thrusting his lance once more until…_

_*SHANK*_

_One of Glen's men took the hit! "G–Go General Glen!" The soldier gritted._

_"Gh…" Glen had no other choice but to make a run for it with his Wyvern towards the direction where Eirika's group were heading as the bleeding on his arm continued to flow out. Valter pulled out his Obsidian out from the soldier before he finished him off with a slash on his throat, killing him in an instant. Some of the Glen's men immediately went to Valter's side in order not to feel his wrath._

_"Go… the small fishes are yours, even with that traitor…" Valter commanded his group as they flew north. Returning back to the ground, he picked up the severed arm of Glen on the ground, which twitched for a bit. "Heh, heh… This is merely the beginning. Endless battle, war without end… Heh, heh… Hahahahahahahaha!"_

* * *

There you go people, another chapter down! You thought Glen was gonna die huh? Wrong, I changed all that! It took some convincing with Wild Fang, but he went along with it! So there you go! And as always, review!

**Spades:** A, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, J, Q  
**Diamonds:** A, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, J, Q  
**Hearts:** A, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, **8**, 9, J, Q  
**Clubs:** A, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, **7**, 8, 10, J, Q  
**Trial:** A, B


	15. Chapter 12: Village of Silence

Hey there people, it's your good old buddy Fenikkusumaru! It's time for another chapter of Kamen Rider Blade: The Sacred Stones! Let's go!

Disclaimer: Same thing.

* * *

Chapter 12: Village of Silence

We continued on our journey towards the village of Caer Pelyn. We were able to do so thanks to General Glen who let us live and be on our way. At least there's SOME honor among the Grado soldiers. But anyways, we continued our journey towards Caer Pelyn and boy was it mountainous. And I thought climbing Mt. Fuji with my classmates on a school field trip was bad enough, this is even worse! "Just how high is this mountain?" Storm complained. Tana and Vanessa don't seem to be affected by it. It's probably due to their status as a Pegasus Knight.

"We're getting close to Caer Pelyn… it will take half a day to get there with this road, especially leading a group on foot…" Saleh informed us… he hasn't felt tired at all either. Probably from the fact that he's already used to it considering the fact that he's lived here his whole life.

"At least the sight is beautiful…" Forde said smiled as he took his time looking around the area that surrounded us and I must say it really is beautiful because of the vast land we can see from where we're standing.

"I agree!" Tana chirped.

I noticed Eirika wasn't at the front where she's always been. She was at the back, looking a little bit dizzy while riding on her horse. From time to time, she tended to get lightheaded from the height of the mountain. "…Hh… hh…" was all I can hear from her as she tried to get used to this altitude. Worried for her, I slowed down my horse and checked up on her.

"You okay Eirika?" I asked concerned.

"Yes… I'm fine…" she replied while placing her hand on her head for a while as she rocked back and forth from getting off from her horse. "It's just that… I'm still not used to heights…" she added before nearly falling off from her horse. I managed to catch her and let her land on my side, causing the whole crew to stop for a moment.

"Whoa, take it easy." I said holding her.

"I'm sorry, but please bear with this for a while longer, there should be a flat area coming up on the path soon, so we can rest there for the time being." Saleh said.

"Thanks." I said. I then thought of something I can do for Eirika. I got off my horse and had Tethys look after it. "Get off your horse Eirika."

"Huh?" Eirika blinked.

"C'mon, do it. I'll catch you if you fall." I said. She nodded and then managed to get down from her horse on to the ground with me helping her. I then turned around with my back facing her and squatted down with my hands behind my back. "Get on my back."

"Huh?" Eirika asked still confused from what I'm doing as Amber walked out from the caravan and rode on Eirika's horse.

"C'mon, just do it already, Eirika!" Amber told her as Eirika was startled for a moment. In the end, she does so and now I'm giving Eirika a piggyback ride and much to my surprise, even with light armor on her, she's really light. I noticed Tana looking concerned for her friend as well as me…

"I'm sorry… of being a burden to you, Kurogasa…" Eirika apologized softly due to her headache she had.

"No worries. I actually don't mind." I shook my head.

"Well, shall we continue on?" Seth said to us as I nodded while Eirika wrapped her arms around my neck, resting her head on my back.

"The road could be treacherous. Be careful with the steps you take…" Saleh warned me before we continued on our journey. As we continued to walk, Saleh wasn't kidding about the road as it was an unstable road for me to walk on, but I kept pressing on as Eirika rested on my back.

"That boy really knows when to keep going, despite the condition he's in…" Tethys complimented me.

"Yeah, that's just his nature… for a certain someone that is…" Amber teased me with a slight giggle. I glared at Amber for a bit before turning my head forward back on the road again. But still, despite all that, I can feel Eirika's soft, warm exhale on my back as she was sleeping peacefully. One thing I do know is she's really comfortable about it and that's all it matters.

* * *

_As Lute calmly read off from her book, she noticed Artur was also feeling a little lightheaded due to high altitude they're in. "Are you tired, Artur?" she asked him, which surprised him for a moment._

_"Huh…? Oh, no, I'm…" he said trying to find an excuse, as Lute looked at him with her neutral look on her face. In the end, he let out a sigh. "You're right. I am tired. How could you tell, Lute? I was trying my best not to show it."_

_"Oh, come on!" she exclaimed, making some of the group in the caravan look at her, but it doesn't seem to bother her at all. "There's no one better than me at spotting things like this! I can tell you're mentally exhausted." she pointed out before the rest of the group in the caravan continued to rest._

_"I don't know _what_ I expected, but… I had no idea war would be like _this_." Artur sighed. "One battle after another, overwhelming odds… and monsters!? In this day and age, we're fighting monsters from the legends and epics? I know how much is at stake, but sometimes… I get so tired." Artur complained._

_"When you're tired, there's nothing better than a good meal and a long sleep." Lute spoke as she got into her Analyzed Mode. "And if you look at page 990 of "De Floris Mysticis," there's a special herb that, once decocted into a potion, will help relax your muscles. Look for the parfina flower, and reduce it into thick syrup before drinking." she told him before she remembers something else. "Oh, and I hear music helps you sleep. If you like, I can hum something for you."_

_"Thank you. However, I think I'll pass on your offer, delightful though your humming must be." Artur told her kindly. "You must be tired as well. Take care of yourself and rest when you can."_

_"I will. In fact, maybe I'll just hum to myself instead. Will you be all right?" Lute asked him._

_"I'm fine. I feel quite refreshed, in fact." he told her, making Lute a bit confused and gain interest at the same time._

_"Refreshed? How so? Was it some new kind of magic?" Lute asked as Artur shakes his head light with a smile on his face._

_"Perhaps, from a certain point of view. Your every word has nurtured my soul…" he replied back. Lute couldn't understand what he was saying._

_"Hm. I'm not sure I get it, but as long as you're feeling better, that's all that matters!" she said as the journey continues on._

* * *

_Meanwhile, at another caravan, Melissa was also felt a bit lightheaded along the way. "Melissa, are you alright?" Natasha asked._

_"I'm fine, Natasha… it's just I'm still feeling a little bit tired from yesterday's battle, that's all…" Melissa said before a hand stretched out and held out a small bottle on a person's hand and as it turns out, it was Kurai who stretched out to give it to her, much to her confusion. "What _is_ this, Kurai?"_

_"It's an energy drink that I made from the herbs I bought at the city and made one, just in case if your body is still tired from yesterday's battle." he told her._

_"Oh my… I don't know what to say…" Melissa blinked._

_"A fighter like me must always be in good condition if you want to last longer in a fight, and that drink really helped me. And don't worry, there aren't any side effect at all… so, go ahead and drink it all in one go."_

_Melissa nodded before she opened up the bottle and drank the whole thing down. Her expression changed at the taste of it. "It's bitter…"_

_"That's the taste I had to get used to everyday… don't worry, it'll take a while before it starts to rejuvenate your whole body, putting it back in top shape…" Kurai said._

_"Thank you, Kurai… it's nice of you for being concerning about me." Melissa said with a smile before she handed him the bottle and Kurai looked away with a slight blush on his face._

_"Think nothing of it… just as long as you don't keep crushing my toe with that staff, I'm okay with it…" he replied, causing Melissa to have a slight giggle._

_It was then Natasha spoke something to her. "Melissa, I wanted to thank you…"_

_"Pardon me?" Melissa asked looking at her._

_"If it wasn't for your advices, I wouldn't muster up my courage to confess about my feelings to him and now… we are now together. I am forever in your debt, my dearest friend." Natasha said to her as she hugged her gently._

_"Oh, please, Natasha. I'm only helping out when I can. The rest is up to you. But I'm glad I could help out a friend of mine." Melissa replied as she hugged her back with a smile on her face. "I'm just happy for you two as your relationship with Joshua works up just fine…"_

* * *

We finally reached upon the flat area that Saleh told us about and all the troops managed to rest up. As we were resting, I called Colm, Lute, and Gerik for a private meeting. "Boy, what's the idea of calling me out here?" Gerik asked me while scratching the back of his head in annoyance.

"Yeah, don't you see I was about to have a little rest here? A thief like me also needs a little break!" Colm scolded me.

"I'm perfectly fine as usual. There must be something the rider has for us…" Lute pointed out.

"I know, I know, this will be quick, I promise. I have something for you three. Starting with you Colm, I hear you've been doing pretty well with your… skills as a thief."

"A thief gotta do what a thief gotta do…" Colm said with a smile on his face as he had a bag of gold on his hand. When I looked down, I notice my bag of gold is missing. "It's my life and my fingers are itching for something shiny and expensive!"

"Sneaky as always." I grinned. "Well, how about I give a challenge of you being extra sneaky." I said as I pulled out of my pocket a small blue shield emblem medal from my pocket and Colm gawked at it. "Back in Port Kiris, Ross picked up something from one of the Pirates. Seth told me that this is an Ocean's Seal, a promotion item for Pirates and Thieves. Pirates can become Berserkers or Warriors, and for Thieves can become Assassins or Rogues. So as of now I'll promote you from Thief to Assassin. Congrats." I said handing the promotion item to him.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Are you for real?" Colm backed off. "If I became an Assassin, that means I would have less time sneaking around for some gold! Are you sure about this?" Colm asked me.

"That's why you gotta be fast." I grinned cheekily. "Assassins gotta be quick."

"Whatever you say…" Colm shrugged. "This is going to be a pain for me…" He muttered.

"What was that?" I muttered darkly, smiling evilly and having my eye twinkle.

"You heard me…" Colm said before he walked away while scratching his head about the new position he held now with the Ocean's Seal in hand. Crap, I was hoping I would scare him like Melissa–sempai does. Oh well…

"Ugh… anyways, on to you Lute, I see your magic's been getting better."

"No, not better, Kurogasa…" Lute corrected me as she wagged her forefinger in denial. "You know my magic is at its best because of my superiority…" Lute boasted.

"Huh… always boastful as ever. Now I'm starting to wonder if I should _really_ promote you or not." I teased. "Because with that pride, well I'll be honest, it doesn't sit well with me and I don't like people who think highly of themselves."

"It doesn't matter to me, as I am good in my magic and that's all that matters." Lute claimed, as Gerik laughed.

"Ha, ha! I like your spirit, lassie!" Gerik said to her.

"It's not a spirit. It's a fact." Lute corrected him, which he laughed at. Man, she's just not biting. Something in her has _got_ to make her snap. But _what_? Lute looked at me as she was analyzing me with that smirk on her face. "From the looks of it, it seems like I've somehow triggered some negative emotions in you, Kurogasa. If you want to know how I know about it, I've read it in Psychology of Human Beings, chapter 5: Human Emotions and effects." she pointed out.

Okay, clearly this isn't helping… Oh, I know! "I'll be right back. You two stay here and don't go anywhere." I said as I turned around and left them. I need Melissa–sempai for this.

After a minute or two, I came back with Melissa–sempai in tow. "Kurogasa, why bringing Sister Melissa here?" Lute asked as she blinked.

"You _do_ know she's still having that headache of hers, right?" Gerik informed me while crossing his arms.

"Yes, and I'm still feeling a little weary, Kurogasa…" Melissa–sempai added.

"Sorry about this, Melissa–sempai. There's something that you should hear out…" I told her.

"Well… as long as it isn't long, I don't mind…" Melissa–sempai said as she closed her eyes while rubbing her forehead a few times, gaining Lute's attention.

"Seems like the headache of yours is quite troublesome. From my experience, on page 990 of "De Floris Mysticis," there's a special herb that, once decocted into a potion, will help relax your muscles. It would also make you feel better as well!" Lute explained to her.

"Yes, dear… I know that. Kurai has given me a handmade elixir to drink and it does lessen a bit of my headache and my muscles due to my inexperience in fighting…" Melissa–sempai told her.

"Hm… maybe his elixir lacks something that causes you to still having some headaches…" Lute explained and the more she explained to her, Melissa–sempai's dark aura began to seep out from her due to her headache she had; and that alone was enough to make Lute silent as Gerik took a few steps back. Heck, even _I_ did the same thing.

"Lute, dear… I know you're good with something and wanted to help me out but there are times where you need to be humble about it, rather than being boastful… so please, try not to make a person like me have any more headaches than it is now…" Melissa–sempai said with a smile as she placed her hand on her forehead while her dark aura seeped out even more, causing Lute for once, obeyed her words.

"Y–Yes, Sister Melissa…" Lute got out.

"Arigatou, sempai~ that's all I need." I said in a sing–song tone despite still being scared of her dark aura. "You can go back and have your rest now…" I told her before she walked away, her dark aura lowering down while making her way back to the caravan.

"That was… something…" Lute blinked. That was her first time seeing a sister of Light seeps out Darkness in her.

"Now then…" I said turning back to her smiling. "Now that you've been humbled, I can promote you from Mage to Mage Knight." I said giving her a Guiding Ring. Kurai told me that Pablo's Guiding Ring slipped off his finger when they teleported out of there. "May this ring guide you to be _more_ humble," I said cheekily. Lute could only keep quiet as she doesn't want to argue with me and end up bringing Melissa–sempai here again, after seeing it firsthand.

"Boy, why would you call me here? I barely know you, like less than a week…" Gerik told me about it.

"I know, but after hearing from Innes how you'd fight for duty and not money, I couldn't help but be moved." I grinned cheekily as I handed him a Hero Crest to him. "This is a Hero Crest, for Mercenaries, its Hero or Ranger, Myrmidons, Swordmaster or Assassin, and for Fighters, Warrior or Hero. You're no mercenary now, for saving Innes, you become a Hero."

"Ah, I'm touched; lad… looks like I better prove it to everyone with this new title, huh?" Gerik informed me.

"Yep. And maybe you can consider expanding your use of weaponry. Maybe learning the axe."

"Heh… that could be a new experience for me as well…" Gerik told me before he stretched upwards. "So, are we finished here?" he asked me.

"Yes, I guess it's time to resume our journey." Lute added.

"Incoming Wyvern Rider!" Ross shouted. What?! When I heard Ross call it out, I can't believe it at all! That Wyvern belonged to Glen, and he said he'll let us go so that we could get to our destination without much hassle. But for some reason, when he approached us, he can't control of his Wyvern properly because there are two things I noticed about it… he looked so tired from it and he's missing his arm as it still gushed out from that wound. In the end, the wyvern landed on the ground as Glen dropped down from his ride, surprising us.

"Isn't that guy the one that let us go?" Gerik asked.

"Yeah! That _is_ him!" I recognized as I ran over to Glen. "Father Moulder, Natasha, Artur! I need some help here!" As I shouted their names, Father Moulder was the first one that reached the scene as he was shocked from what he was saw. "This is gruesome indeed. Who would do such a thing to this innocent man?"

"I don't know…" I told him as Natasha and Artur followed suit and both of them had the same expression. Heck, L'Arachel was _also_ here to see it. Oh yeah, she's a troubadour after all, so one of her responsibilities was helping the people in need by treating their wounds.

"General Glen…" Natasha muttered out as she covered her mouth in shock.

"Who would _do_ such a thing on him?!" Artur said in a surprised tone as well.

"Let's heal this man and close up his wound before he turns into a vegetable!" L'Arachel told them as the four of them pointed their staff on him and it started to glow on his body as slowly, the wound on him began to close.

"What's going on?" Eirika asked as she came up to the healers and me and she was shocked to see who it was. "Glen?!"

"Yeah, I don't believe it either. Oi, Glen! Wake up!" I said trying to do so. While he was being healed, Glen slowly opened his eyes while grunting in pain as he was a bit disoriented from the loss of blood. "What's going on? Who did this to you?"

It was then he muttered out the one word that I really don't want to hear as that one word was enough to tell me the story… "Val… ter…" he managed to spurt out before he went unconscious.

"What?!" Eirika gasped in horror.

"Valter…" I growled clenching my fist. Calm down, Kurogasa. Calm down. Don't let your emotions get the best of you. I'm not letting what happened last time. Eirika looked at me when I growled that name out as she got concerned. As the four healers finishes healing him, we decided to do one thing we can do for now. Let's get moving now, we should continue on the road to Caer Pelyn… and we'll give him proper treatment once we get there…" I told them as most of them agreed. As everyone walked back to the caravan, with Gerik carrying him and Artur trying to lead Glen's wyvern, I felt a pat on my shoulder and it was Father Moulder and he had a worried look on his face.

"Young man, don't let that name alone get into your mind… as it will invoke your dark side…" Father Moulder reminded me.

"I know…" I got out. "I'll go inside the caravan and meditate…" Father Moulder nodded before he followed suit as I looked up at the sky thinking… why is that name enough to trigger my untamed beast side? Am I… _scared_ of him? I began to have doubts whether I could actually protect Eirika from him or not… why do I have a dream about it in the first place? While I thought about it, I subconsciously placed my hand on my stomach where he had inflicted pain on me… and had a slight chill of remembering it.

* * *

We continued our journey towards Caer Pelyn. Most of the trip has been mountainous and rocky, but it didn't stop us from continuing on and pressing forward. As I stayed inside the caravan, I've been meditating a lot, not letting anything distract me. Kurai's meditative techniques have helped me suppress my dark side… mostly, but it's still faintly there. Kurai, in the meantime, was letting Melissa–sempai rest on his lap for her comfort due to the fact she collapsed when returning back to the caravan as her headache really affected her badly. I partially was at fault about it, but knowing Melissa–sempai, she always said it was her decision to do so, even if it might affect her. Kurai couldn't help but to have a slight blush while looking away and at the same time, he tried to make sure to not let Melissa–sempai suddenly fall off from her seat due to the condition of the road.

Amber looked upon Glen who was resting on the floor of the caravan as she was a bit confused about it. "I don't get it… why in the world would Grado's soldier turn their back on him?"

"Beats me, big sis… and it's cruel enough to take off his arm…" Akira said worried.

"Yeah, this Valter guy you mentioned sure has a black heart! If I see him, I'm gonna kill him good with my Rouzer!" Mikoto said confidently.

"We tried, but last time we encountered him, he… took us all out… alone…" Akira groaned, remembering it as Mikoto got worried.

"That's all gonna change when we see him again." I said making the Riders turn to me. "When we see him again, it's all gonna change. We've gotten stronger since then, with each battle we've been through. I'm sure we'll beat him this time."

"Yeah! I know I haven't met this guy, but I can tell with our upgraded powers, we can take him down and possibly go for overkill!" Mikoto chirped up as Kurai looked at me with a stern look.

"Judging by the tone of your voice, you look okay, but the hatred is still inside your mind… I can tell…" Kurai said to me.

"Hatred?" Amelia asked in confusion.

"What do you mean by that, Kurai?" Natasha asked. Oh yeah, other than the Riders and Father Moulder knowing about the nightmare, the others didn't know about it since I told them to keep it as a secret.

"Believe me… you don't wanna know…" Kurai added without leaving his stern gaze upon me.

"You're right Kurai… it is… I'm trying my best to suppress it… but…" I said then clenching my fist. At that point, I felt a hand touching my shoulder. I turned to see who it was and it was… Eirika? Come to think of it, due to her not used to these heights, she decided to stay in the caravan so she could rest and won't trail off or fall down from her horse.

"Kurogasa… is there something that you're hiding from me?" she asked very worried and with a worried look on her face. "Please… don't keep it to yourself… you can share it with me if it makes you feel better…"

When I looked at Kurai, he looked away from me as if he's trying to avoid it. "I won't help you out, kid. You're on your own…"

"I… I…" I got out.

"Incoming!" Colm shouted from outside the caravan.

Us Riders were alert after that, we and Eirika looked outside the caravan and we saw just about a half mile away from the village entrance. The only problem was… we got more monsters to deal with… "More monsters…" Eirika breathed out. "Master Saleh, do these creatures normally inhabit this region?"

"No…" He said simply. "Those things come from Darkling Woods. It's been a long time since they've wandered this far afield. It's as the elder says… Evil omens take many shapes."

"It looks like those fiends have noticed us." L'Arachel added as she came up next to the caravan.

"I'm concerned for Ewan as well." Saleh added. "I'll go with you. I hope he is safe."

"Let's go Riders!" I said, as the other Riders got off the caravan, Eirika grabbed my arm. I looked at her and she looked at me concerned. "Don't worry, I'll protect you."

"I know, but… about…" Eirika said. Oh, right, what I was hiding from her…

"You're right. I _have_ been hiding something. I'll tell you when we get to Caer Pelyn though. Just the two of us in private…" I assured her smiling sadly. Eirika looked at me for a while, before she nodded and let go of my arm and I went outside the caravan.

"In the meantime, we better wipe out these guys before we go to the village…" Kurai said while looking some of monsters from afar.

"But… this place is covered in mountains… fighting them at the mountains might be troublesome for us on foot…" Mikoto complained.

"Sister Melissa, are you sure you're okay? You don't have to fight if you are still tired…" Amelia asked her concerned as Melissa–sempai waved it off after yawning from a nice long rest.

"Oh, don't worry. I'm fine…" Melissa–sempai assured her before Kurai handed her a card. "Hm?"

"You can use this Recovery Camel, just in case if you get yourself injured again…" Kurai told her as Melissa–sempai let out a gentle smile on him.

"Gwah ha, ha! More monsters for me to chop on!" Dolza said pumped up.

"Correct." Marisa replied simply as she had her Shamsir in her hand.

"You all go ahead. I'll be looking over the unconscious man." Tethys told us as she was at the front of the caravan.

"Hm… this would be a good time to show you what I'm truly capable of!" L'Arachel perked up as she held her staff high. "I'm gonna whack them all out with my trusty staff in hand!"

"Alright, Riders, let's do this!" I said putting in my ace card in the buckle and putting the buckle around my waist, as did everyone else, excluding Kurai, who just needed to rouse his card.

"Henshin!"

**TURN/OPEN UP**

**CHANGE**

The seven cards of our Category Ace conjured out from our belt as Dolza and L'Arachel were surprised to see the rest of our transformation and our armor as well. "Wow, Kurai's words held _true_ after all…" L'Arachel said surprised after witnessing our transformation firsthand.

"Gwah ha, ha! That's what you don't see every day!" Dolza added but Saleh was shocked to see it.

"Could it _be_ what I _think_ it could be…?" Saleh asked himself as he still looked at us…"

"What is it?" I asked.

"Just like Grandmother's tale…" he muttered, leaving me confused before we dodged one of the attacks from the imp's trident that descended towards us right before it flew back up.

"What are you talking about?" Garren asked him.

"Once we reach Caer Pelyn, she will explain everything…" Saleh informed us before he focused back to the battle. "But for now, we should take care of this mess… and I need your help to bring me to where Ewan might be…"

"Right." I said.

* * *

_"Hey!" Ewan cried out, as a monster chased him. "Wa–Wait a moment, we can work this out…" He panted out as he ran. "You, uh, aren't interested in talking, are you?" He asked, the creature's moan his only reply. "Aaaaaaaaaa!" He cried out, throwing a fireball behind him, the explosion sending up a cloud of dust as he darted into a house, the monster looking about before lumbering off. "Where'd all those freaks come from? I've got to get back and warn everyone… But… I _do_ wonder if Grandmother is all right."_

* * *

"Us girls will escort Saleh to find Ewan and I just hope he'll be okay…" Larc informed while she roused her Common Blank onto her Rouzer.

**TRIAL… A**

In an instant, the Trial A hologram appeared as her armor glowed radiantly before she is in her Trial Form. Saleh mounted on Vanessa's Pegasus before the three flew high to the sky.

"Mou~! I wanted to go with him!" Tana complained as Larc giggled before they head towards their destination.

"In the meantime, we should press on this road… filled with monsters…" Lance told me.

"We should hurry if we want to catch up with them…" Seth told us.

"Yes, and possibly save Saleh's village before it gets attacked by those monsters…" Kyle told him.

* * *

_At one corner of the mountain, an Undead which consisted of an octopus head with two pairs of tentacles on its eyes and a mustache, having a white half cape of a squid's skin on its left side and a squid's tentacles on its right side, with black body armor with white arm sleeves on both of its arms, and a pair of claws with a tentacle whip on its hand to finish it off, leads a group of monsters with full of pride. The monsters obeyed its orders as it began to make a move towards the direction below the mountain, where the riders are at. "Destroy them –geso!" the Squid Undead commanded them._

_Another Undead walked together with the group as it has a hairy centipede head with a pair of fangs, a few leg–like spikes mounted on its shoulders, with crimson red body armor and black boots with spikes at the back of its boot. It wields a chain with a moon–shaped blade at the end of it as it walked towards down the path. This was the Centipede Undead. "Kill… kill… KILL!" the Centipede Undead growled angrily before it rushed down the hill._

_"What about me?" another all black Undead which consists of a Lion's head in yellow color with blue eyes, having black pads with yellow stripes of a tiger on its armor with yellow claws mounted at the back of its hands and have a cheetah's pattern on its lower part of its body and the boot of it resembles a cheetah's paw. This is the Trial C: Feline Undead with speed in its disposal._

_"You stay with me near the village –geso! Knowing the Riders might arrive there, we better be prepared to attack them –geso!" the Squid Undead informed the Undead._

* * *

**KICK**

**THUNDER**

The holograms of Kick Locust and Thunder Deer entered my armor.

**LIGHTNING BLAST**

I stabbed my Rouzer onto the ground and immediately leaped high to the sky and delivered a Rider Kick onto the fetid ghoul's chest, splattering it all over the place. One of the reverent tried to deliver an attack on me, only to have me back off before Eirika intervened and tried to take down the reverent in front of her. I quickly grabbed back my Rouzer and helped out Eirika as we delivered a cross slash attack on it simultaneously, causing it to be dropped dead in an instant. "This isn't helping… I haven't gotten used to this height and my attack missed a few times…" Eirika said as she took a few breathers after taking down a few reverent.

"Don't worry, we can do this. Trust me." I assured her.

**DROP**

**FIRE**

The holograms of Drop Whale and Fire Fly entered Garren's armor.

**BURNING SMASH**

Garren got into a stance as he clenched his fist tightly before he leaped up high to the sky. Dolza was happily chopping off the orc's spiked club. For his small size, he sure packs a powerful swing, which was enough to disarm the monster. Gilliam threw his spear right onto its eye, blinding it before he pulled it back and Garren connected the kick right onto the orc's chest, piercing _through _it before landing at the back of the ogre. It lets out a growl before it dropped dead to the side as Garren slowly pushed himself up, with Dolza patting Garren's back happily.

"Gwah ha, ha! That was some move, lad!" Dolza praised him, making Akira bow in slight embarrassment.

"Um… thanks, I guess." He said.

"Leangle, time for a double Rider Kick!" Chalice shouted out.

"Right!" Leangle said as they roused their cards.

**DRILL**

**TORNADO**

**BITE**

**BLIZZARD**

The four holograms entered their armor.

**SPINNING ATTACK**

**BLIZZARD CRUSH**

"Ikuze!" Chalice spun in a rapid manner as he slowly ascended upwards. The chill emitted around Leangle spread out onto the area, causing some of the Minotaur to be frozen on the spot; or even froze up completely. Leangle leaped high and tried to deliver a scissors kick. At the same time, Chalice began to descent in a fast matter, as both of the kicks connected onto the Minotaur, shattering it into pieces of ice. Neimi, Colm and Franz join in as they took this advantage by swinging their swords onto the frozen Minotaur, shattering them into pieces as both Leangle and Chalice slowly raised themselves until Leangle nearly tumbled to the side, being caught by Chalice. "You really need some rest…" he said to her.

"Please, I'm okay… I still have the card you gave me, Kurai…" Leangle told him as she took it out and immediately roused it onto her Rouzer.

**RECOVER**

A hologram of Recovery Camel was projected from it, letting out a sprinkle of light to recover her stamina. When the hologram disappeared, she was energized back to full health before handing him the card. "Thank you for the card…"

"It used up your AP for using that card alone…" Chalice said worried for her.

"Don't worry. I'll be fine…" she assured him before both of them dodged the arrow that was aiming towards them.

**MIGHTY**

**MIGHTY**

While Neimi, Innes, Lute and Artur distract some of the monster's focused from afar while at the same time, killing them down, Glaive and Lance's Mighty were absorbed into their Rouzers and they dashed forward to a giant mummy. Lance was the first one to stab his Rouzer onto its body, causing its whole body to be frozen while the venom spread into its body. Glaive leaped onto Lance's shoulder and pushed herself up until she descended and slashed down her sparked Rouzer, cleanly cleaving the monster in half before the mummy splits in half. "One down, many more to go!" Glaive chirped.

"This is gonna take a while…" Lance muttered with a sweat drop after seeing more monsters appeared from the woods.

All of a sudden, a red figure appeared out of nowhere and hit Glaive and Lance. "Glaive! Lance!" I shouted as I and Eirika ran over to them. And we were caught off guard when a chain hits not only me, but also Eirika on her armor as sparks were created before it was pulled back into his hand.

"Princess!" Seth shouted concerned before a few DarkRoaches swarmed the field, making Ross and Garcia have a hard time dealing with them.

"Great… we have these Undead _too_?!" Ross complained as Amelia stabbed one of the DarkRoaches, causing it to explode and let out a green smoke. Franz was there in time to help Amelia away from it before they are at an open spot.

"Sir Franz! Why did you…?" Amelia asked confused.

"Avoid the green gases, as it is deadly!" Franz warned her as both Eirika and I slowly sat up. When I looked at her, I noticed there was a cut on her armor, but no wound as the red dress wasn't torn at all, which indicates she's alright.

"Oh? What is that weird looking monster?" L'Arachel pointed out at the Centipede Undead, as it spun around its blade attached on its chain.

"It's an Undead, move it! Us Riders will take care of it!" I shouted.

"Huh? That weird fiend is an Undead?" L'Arachel asked confused as Dolza noticed it too.

"Gyah ha, ha! What a weird looking monster! I, Dolza, will chop its head off with a swing of my axe!" Dolza claimed before he shouted and dashed towards his target. The Centipede Undead threw its blade onto Dolza, which he managed to block with his axe before he delivered an uppercut cut onto it, creating some sparks, but Dolza was surprise to see it didn't affect it, before it kicked Dolza easily, making him tumble a few times, much to L'Arachel's surprise.

"Dolza!" L'Arachel cried out.

"I _told_ you we'll take care of it!" I shouted. Time for me to try something. First, I slid in my Absorb Queen into the Rouze Absorber.

**ABSORB QUEEN**

Then I slid the Fusion Eagle across the reader.

**FUSION JACK**

The Eagle plaque covered the Absorber and I was soon in Jack Form restoring my AP to full capacity. "Garren, Chalice, Leangle, throw me your Category Six cards!"

"What are you trying to do?" Eirika asked.

"I got something in mind…" I replied back to her.

"A Four of a Kind, huh?" Chalice muttered before he took out his and Leangle's Category Six, much to her surprise and threw both cards at me.

Garren tried to push the Undead back while trying to pull Dolza back to safety. "Here!" he shouted before throwing the Six of Diamonds to me. I caught all three of them, as Eirika was confused from what I'm doing.

"What strange cards you hold there, uh… Kurogasa," L'Arachel said trying to call me my name since she doesn't know what to call me in this form.

"When I'm in this armor, call me Blade." I said then turned to the Undead. Alright, time for me to use a move never used in the series. I roused the four elemental cards on my Rouzer.

**THUNDER**

**FIRE**

**TORNADO**

**BLIZZARD**

Four cards which consisted of the Thunder Deer, Fire Fly, Tornado Hawk and Blizzard Polar conjured right behind me before it absorbed into my armor to initiate the unheard move before…

**EXTREME SHOT**

All of the sudden, I felt a jolt on my hand as I tried to grip on it tightly and my hand was trembling hard. This unused move was never seen in the series, and now I know why they haven't used it. On my Rouzer, all four different elements gathered and it dripped down in flames as Eirika and L'Arachel's hair flew gently from the gust of my Rouzer alone. One problem though… the longer I try to hold it, the stronger it gets but at the same time, it slowly drains my power to hold it alone… and I didn't even swing it yet…

"Wow, flashy!" L'Arachel said impressed.

"Is that what I _think_ it is?" Lance asked me.

"You got it Lance! It's Extreme Shot! It's never used yet and I'm gonna use it now! Take this!" I shouted and swung down hard sending a wave of electricity, fire, wind, and ice at the Centipede Undead. Four different elements slashed onto the Centipede Undead as it tried to block it, but failed due to the strong gust of wind that pushed it away and the frozen wound immediately emitted a burning sensation and shocked it at the same time. And before I knew it, it exploded from the inside and lied motionless on the ground.

"Sugei~!" Lance said impressed.

"Yeah, no kidding…" Chalice muttered.

"Wait a minute… big bro; it used most of your AP!" Garren pointed out.

"I know…" And before I knew it, my transformation cancelled out and I fell on one knee. Man that attack took a lot out of me.

"Kurogasa, are you okay?" Eirika asked me as Chalice held out a Proper Blank onto the Centipede Undead, making L'Arachel and Dolza surprised as the Undead was absorbed into the card, sealing it before it returned back to his hands.

"Category 10 of Hearts: Shuffle Centipede… how original…" Chalice muttered before L'Arachel noticed some of the DarkRoaches disappeared from their view, surprising them.

"That was something! I didn't know about it at all!" Dolza said happily before he let out a big laugh.

"You looked injured… wanna let me heal you up, Blade?" L'Arachel asked me while calling my other name in the civilian form.

"Ugh, it's Kurogasa now…" I groaned. "When I'm not in my armor, you can call me Kurogasa. When I'm in my armor, call me Blade. And yes, please." L'Arachel scratched her head, confused by the term before she pointed her staff onto me initiating the healing procedure.

"If it pleases you, you can just call him by his name, regardless of his condition, L'Arachel…" Eirika giggled, which made me had a small smile on my face.

"It seems we need to press forward…" Seth said approaching to me while he's on a horse.

"Yes. My sister and everyone else have already pressed forward…" Innes informed us.

"Gwah ha, ha! What are we _waiting_ for? We better followed them before they have all the kills!" Dolza declared before he starts to run again.

"Ah, wait, Mr. Dolza!" Garren called out before he started to chase him.

"Tch… that guy sure is active…" Chalice muttered.

"But he's right, though… we better pressed forward. I'm worried about them because there could be more Undead…" Leangle replied.

* * *

_"Aaaaaaaaaa! Get away from me you squid thing, whatever you are!" Ewan cried out throwing a fireball at the Squid Undead._

_"Geso~! That puny ball won't work on me!" the Squid Undead said before it spurted out a sticky black ooze from its mouth, which put out the flame and some of it stuck onto Ewan's arm and cape, making it impossible for him to get off._

_"Ow, ow, ow, it's burning me!" Ewan cried out in pain as the black ooze started to burn his skin._

_"That's the idea –geso!" The Squid Undead said._

**MIGHTY**

_"Huh –geso?"_

_"Hey, look up!" a shout was heard as the Squid Undead looked up and noticed Larc pull the trigger down and the shot hit the Squid Undead right on the center before it ended up crashing on the tree._

_"Ewan!" Saleh called as the Pegasus Knights landed on the ground and Larc also lands, thus canceling her Trial Form. Meanwhile, the Squid Undead slowly pushed itself up while applying some black ooze on itself to heal it._

_"Grr, how _dare_ you hurt me –geso!" the Squid Undead said furiously._

_"Are you okay?" Saleh asked worried._

_"I _was_ until that thing spit out some black stuff that's burning my skin. Ow, ow, ow…" Ewan cringed in pain._

_"Don't worry; you're safe now." Saleh said then looked towards the Undead. "I'll take care of this." Saleh pulled out an Elfire Tome, opened it up and chanted. Doing various hand gestures, a magical circle appeared below him as it shined radiantly._

_"Time to take you out, you slimy squid!" Larc said as she roused some cards._

**SCOPE**

**MIGHTY**

_"Try me, –geso!" it declared before it squirted out more black ooze to blind them, which Larc managed to roll to the side while Saleh takes a few steps back._ _Meanwhile, Tana and Vanessa brought Ewan to a safer place before the Scope Bat and Mighty Ray entered into her Rouzer and she took aim of where could it possibly hide and it turns out, the Squid Undead is making a run for it in an uneven road, which doesn't seem to bother it as it can run at any kind of terrain like it was nothing. With her heightened sense, she carefully took aim before…_

_"Rider… Snipe Shot!" Larc declared before she pulled the trigger, hitting right at the back of the Undead, which the attack stacked up by Saleh's Elfire onto the Squid Undead._

_"Geso~~!" The Squid Undead yelled before an explosion occurred, leaving the Undead slumped on the ground, motionless._

_"Yay! We did it!" Tana cheered as the ooze from Ewan's arm disappeared but the rash was still there._

_Saleh approached his student and lets out a sigh of relief. "Ewan… you're safe…"_

_"Of _course_, teacher! You probably had to fight a ton of creatures to get here! You're the best!" Ewan praised him, "I hope I can study with you forever." Ewan told him with a big smile, even though he had a rash on his arm._

_"I've told you before… My mission is my life. If you wish to learn magic, you'd be better served by another." Saleh informed him, which Ewan got a little rebellious about._

_"No way." Ewan denied. "I wanna be just like you. Why would I go study somewhere else?" he pondered to himself until it hit him hard. "Wait… You've gotta go out on a mission again, don't you! Take me with you! I've practiced a lot. I can already use all the magic you taught me!" Ewan told him eagerly wanting to go for an adventure._

_In the end, Saleh nodded to an agreement. "…Well, you seem quite adamant. All right. You may accompany me. I think being with me might be safer than remaining on your own."_

_"Yahoo!" Ewan cheered before he winced in pain due to the rash he had earlier. Meanwhile, Larc approached the burning Undead, dropped a Proper Blank at it, and sealed up the Undead for good before it returned to her hand._

_"That's _one_ way to roast a squid…" Larc joked to herself before the group headed east._

* * *

After recovering from making the Extreme Shot attack, we went on our way to meet up with Larc and the others. And to our surprise, we managed to meet Joshua's team as well. "So, how did it go?" I asked him.

"With the help from Forde, Kyle, Gerik, Marisa and Gilliam; with the healing from Natasha and Father Moulder, we've cleared the road ahead…' Joshua told us normally.

"And I managed to seal an Undead that tried to turn Ewan here into roasted sushi…" Amber said as she showed us the card that she mentioned… Smog Squid. It's a good thing that card is sealed too. Otherwise, it might make Eirika tremble again… for a reason. All of a sudden a blur managed to hit all of us Riders without warning! As most of us landed on the ground, including the knights, the blurred figure stopped on its tracks and slides in back its claws into his skin, just like how Wolverine does it with his adamantine claws. Those without having armors are having some scratch marks on their part of their bodies while the ones with armor had a trail of smoke on it.

"Ugh! Look what that thing did to my clothes! There's a tear on my precious cape!" L'Arachel complained.

"Natasha, are you okay?!" Joshua panicked as her shoulder was wounded from the sudden blur; the cut dampening her white dress.

"Y–Yes, I'm fine… it's just a minor wound…" Natasha assures him as most of us stood up and Artur healed up the wound on Natasha with his healing staff.

"Fast… strange monster… Undead." Marisa analyzed but from what _I'm_ seeing, I've never seen such Trial in the series before, just like Trial A.

"If any of you want to face me, reach the village before the sun sets down… or else… I'll kill everyone in the village." the Trial warned us before it zapped away like it was nothing.

Saleh had a disbelief look on his face. "Before the sun sets? This means we have to be quick… it's just halfway up there… to Caer Pelyn." he said concerned as Tethys approached us with the caravan and she was surprised from what she's seeing.

"Why is everyone injured?" Tethys asked us.

"No time to explain, we have to get there fast!" I said as us Riders got up. I put on my buckle and slipped in the Ace card. "Henshin!"

**TURN UP**

The hologram came out of the buckle and I was donned in my armor again. "I'm the only one that can probably get there before the sun sets. Just meet up with me." I then roused a card.

**MACH**

The hologram of Mach Jaguar entered my armor and I ran as fast as I could.

* * *

When I reached the front gate of Caer Pelyn, I noticed the Trial C standing there as it crossed its arms, waiting for my arrival. "It seems as you have arrived…" it replied to me before looking at the sun. "And right before sunset… as promised."

"Enough!" I snapped. "It's time that we finish this!" I fanned out my cards before rousing a card.

**TIME**

The Time Scarab entered my armor before the whole area was affected under the Time spell. With that smug it has on its face, I began to ran towards its direction but once I tried to slash him out…

*CLANG!*

"Nani?!"

"Do you really think time is on your side? I can manipulate speed up to the speed of light if I wanted to…" it boasted as I noticed my Rouzer was jammed right in the middle of its long claws. I don't get it… how come it can move within this time warp? But, on the upside, now that both of us are even and at the speed of light, there's a chance I can beat it. The both of us started as it tried to deliver a scratch attack onto me which I easily dodged to the side. I didn't notice the incoming back kick from it, causing me to stumble back a few steps. It tried to attack me again, but I played smart by dodging to the side and slashing it again on its stomach. I quickly delivered a back kick onto the enemy right on the chest, causing it to roll around a few times.

The Trial Undead stood up from where it fell and immediately charged forward, as I tried to block to the side with my Rouzer. I anticipated another back kick from it but instead, I got a back elbow on my chest instead before it did an uppercut with both of its claws, causing me to fall on the ground, back first. "Hmph… I was hoping a good match, but at least it warms me up… I can't wait to kill everything in sight. It chuckled while looking down on me.

"Urgh…" I gritted. Dang it, at this rate, I'm gonna be done for.

"Any last words before I chopped your head off, Blade?" it replied to me before the Time Scarab wore off and everything went back to normal.

**TRIAL… B**

A sudden glow caught its attention before it tried to swoop down its claws onto me, and much to my surprise, Lance suddenly appeared right between us to parry the attack before delivering his superior strength of punch onto the Trial Undead, causing it to tumble a few times until it slammed to a boulder which crushed into pieces of stone. "Geez, Blade. We should stick together, not rush into the battle alone…" Lance reminded me while he lends a hand to help me up. "Besides, you're not Kenzaki, remember?"

"Heh… Warui…" I got out. As I held his hand and he pulled me up, the rest of the riders approached me and so was the rest of the gang.

"Mou~! Why do you always cause us trouble, Kurogasa?!" Amber said annoyed while she's riding on her horse to get here.

"We're a team, remember? We can't just leave someone behind…" Garren told me as he landed on the ground with his Jack Form.

"That and it would be an eyesore, if you were to die." Chalice said as he and Melissa–sempai arrived.

"Yeah, don't be a One Man Army." Glaive chirped. "Can't hog _all_ the fun, right?"

"Besides, we still have a long way to go if we want to get home…" Melissa–sempai added.

"Minna…" I said while everyone looked at me with a confident smile, especially both Eirika and Tana.

"Hmph, even _with_ the numbers gain, I can still hit you all simultaneously…" the Trial Undead said smugly.

"Not really! Besides… you won't anticipate what's going to be happening next, right?" Glaive chirped up as she had a card in her hand and roused it.

**SMOG**

With the Smog Squid hologram absorbed into her Rouzer, she let out a slash around us, causing it to cover us with smog, much to its confusion. "I don't know what you're about to do, but either way, you'll be minced meat!" the Trial Undead declared before it rushed towards our direction… until this happened. "Nani?!" When the smoke cleared out, not only half of its body is being wrapped in vines, but also it was frozen solid to make sure it can't move. "What is the _meaning_ of this?!"

"Simple, you fell for our trap!" Chalice said as he flashes his Bio Vine to it.

"And a simple one too!" Lance followed suit as he held Blizzard Polar on his hand.

"Big bro, do you know what time it is?" Garren informed me.

"Sure do! It's CLIMAX TIME!"

* * *

**Insert BGM: Climax Heroes: Kuuga**

"Ikuze…" Lance said as he charged up for a powerful punch.

**DROP**

**FIRE**

**GEMINI**

Three holograms of Drop Whale, Fire Fly and Gemini Zebra have been roused and entered into Garren's armor before he puts it into his gun slot to initiate the move.

**BURNING DIVIDE**

"Closing time for you…" Chalice muttered before he also roused his cards.

**FLOAT**

**DRILL**

**TORNADO**

As Chalice got into his stance, the three holograms of Float Dragonfly, Drill Shell, and Tornado Hawk entered into his armor as the wind began to pick up speed around him.

**SPINNING DANCE**

**MIGHTY**

After Glaive roused up her card, the hologram of Prototype Keroberos entered into her Rouzer to initiate Mighty Gravity.

"C'mon, let's crumble that thing into pieces!" Lance told me as they are waiting for my signature move as while the Trial Undead tried its best to make an escape.

"You're not getting away this time!" I said dealing with the Rouze Absorber first.

**ABSORB QUEEN**

**FUSION JACK**

As soon as I entered Jack Form, I roused the necessary cards.

**KICK**

**THUNDER**

**MACH**

The three holograms of the said cards entered my armor.

**LIGHTNING SONIC**

Lance's charged up a Rider Punch is at max as sparks of electricity was been collected. The five of us initiated the final attack onto the Trial Undead, starting with Glaive's 'A' slash on it, causing the ice and vine that bind him to shatter away, followed by Garren's Burning Divide to force it kneel it down. Both Chalice and I leaped high to the sky, delivering our Rider Kicks onto it, which it laid on the ground, spreading its body. As a finisher, Lance leaped high and delivers a skull–crashing finale with a Rider Punch onto its head, causing an explosion in an instant and Lance stumbled back a few times after that.

**End** **BGM**

* * *

"Wow… that's amazing!" L'Arachel said impressed.

"Gwah ha, ha! You strange warriors are great indeed!" Dolza complimented us. After that, I sealed the Trial Undead with a Common Blank and me and the other Riders in armor cancelled out our transformation.

"Kurogasaaaaaaaaaa~~~~!" Tana cried out running to me.

Oh man, not aga–

"OOF!"

"You were so~~ great with that move! That thing _really_ deserved the kick from it!" Tana said as she hugged my arm tightly while Eirika approached Tana and tried to pull her off.

"Tana, please! He must be very tired after delivering that last move!" Eirika said as she had a slight blush on her face. Eventually, Tana got off from me and Storm helped me get back on my feet.

"She's right, Tana. You really need to stop doing that to him…" Innes added, making Tana puff her cheeks.

"Brother, why did you always say something like that!" Tana said a bit angry before she crossed her arms. "Besides, Kurogasa has already gotten used to it by now, right?" she looked at me with a smile on her face.

"Ooo~, Kurogasa, you sure are a lucky guy!" Amber teased me.

"My, my… I just don't know what to say here…" Melissa–sempai said as she also slightly confused.

"Same goes for me…" Natasha joined in.

"Does this happen _all_ the time?" L'Arachel asked Lute.

"It doesn't matter. _Anything_ can happen if you're around _him_…" Lute informed her, which leaves me having a sweat drop.

"Well, now that that's taken of, please follow me into the village." Saleh said.

"Why are we waiting for? Let's get going already!" Tana chirped up as she grabbed my hand in an instant and began to follow him quickly.

"C–Chotto matte, Tana!" I said trying to calm her down by making her walk on my pace.

"That sister of mine… always acting like a child…" Innes sighed before he followed suit with the others as Eirika somehow felt not only a little jealous… but also worried about me while I'm with Tana at the same time.

"Eirika… let's go." Amber shook her up, breaking Eirika's trance while looking at Amber's worried expression. "It's getting cold when night time arrives…"

"Right…" Eirika said before she followed suit with Amber.

* * *

"Saleh?" An elderly woman asked as the sage led us into the village, past the gate, the sun setting. "Is that you, Saleh? Tell me, is the Great Dragon well?"

"I'm sorry, elder." He sighed. "I searched to the west, but I found nothing."

"Is that so…" She sighed. "Hm? Who's that with you?" She asked, noticing the troop.

Innes stepped forward as he introduced himself to the elderly woman as he politely bowed to her before speaking with a stern tone. "I am Innes, prince of Frelia. The circumstances of our journey have led us here. We would like to pass through."

"Is it okay, ma'am?" Mikoto asked her.

"Please?" Eirika asked

"Hmmm…." the wise elder said putting some thought into it before she spoke. "We of Caer Pelyn have turned away from the world outside. The Great Dragon alone holds all our honor and esteem. In this place, princes and pauper are equals. Do you have a problem with that?" she asked her.

"…No. I understand." Innes accepted.

"Regardless of our status, everyone here is treated the same and I support it, madam…" Melissa–sempai said to her with a kind smile.

"Wise words Sister." the elder woman said. "Well then, be welcomed as guests in our homes." The elder replied. "I see some of you are injured. You should use this rock moss." She said, pointing to some light green moss growing on a large rock down the path. "We have little beyond what we need, but we will prepare food and bedding." The elder continued. "You can rest as long as you like. The girl looks ready to collapse and seems ill from the height of the mountain." She said looking at Eirika before turning to the sage. "Saleh, prepare some tea for the lass."

"Thank you, Elder…" Eirika replied, sighing softly.

"Call me Grandmother, child. That is what the villagers call me." She said before taking Eirika's arm, leading her to a hut. "Now come along, let us get you that tea."

"One moment, Grandmother." Saleh said. "There's something you must know." He then went to the elder woman and whispered something in her ear. The elder's eyes widened in surprise.

"Have my ears deceived me?" Grandmother said surprised from what she's heard from Saleh before she shifted her focus onto Melissa–sempai. "Dear Sister, may I see the staff you are holding?"

"Mine? I don't see why not…" Melissa–sempai said as she lets Grandmother examine her Leangle Rouzer and with that, Grandmother nodded as she returns it back to Melissa–sempai.

"So… the legend has been revived…" Grandmother spoke, leaving us Riders confused.

"A legend? _What_ legend?" Ewan asked her.

"The legend stated that seven warriors from another world, ascended to this world to assist the Great Dragon of defeating the true darkness…" Grandmother told us as Storm looked at me with a confused look on his face.

"Uh… buddy. Is Grandma talking about us?" Storm blinked.

"Um… I'm just as confused as _you _are." I got out.

"All will be explained. Come quickly. We must talk." Grandmother said urgently.

* * *

As we got into a large hut in a larger room so it'll fit everyone in, after putting Glen in a room so that he could rest, Grandmother began to tell the tale as she informed Saleh to get something from her. "Tell me, strange warriors, you have heard of the legend in this world, yes?"

"Yeah, Seth has told us everything about it regarding the Sacred Stones." Akira informed her, but for some reason, she shook her head slightly.

"No, no, no… that's not right at all." she corrected us. ""In an age long past… evil flooded over the land. Creatures awash and the dark tide ran wild, pushing mankind to the brink of annihilation. In its despair, mankind appealed to the heavens, and from a blinding light came hope. Seven warriors descended from the sky, wielding their strange powers to assist the Great Dragon to defeat the darkness that overwhelmed this world. Two souls have sacrificed themselves in order to weaken the power of a legendary white monster that wielded the weapons of darkness, while the other five gave up their lives to give the Great Dragon the power to destroy it once and for all…"

"…and the legend of the Sacred Stones begins there…" L'Arachel said somehow figuring it out.

"What do you mean?" Mikoto asked.

"I don't know if the tale we've heard or read in the book is true or not, but somehow… these five warriors are somehow related to the Sacred Stones…" L'Arachel explained to her.

"Man, this reminds me of that Missing Ace, where Hajime had to sacrifice himself, just to weakened that Jaishin–14, right, buddy?" Storm asked me while he scratched his head in total confusion.

"Yeah. But… this has to be just a mere coincidence, Grandmother." I said.

"No, it is not a mere coincidence, fellow strangers…" Grandmother told us as Saleh returned back with an old book he held in his hand before handing it to Grandmother. She began to flip some of the pages. "This book has been passed down from generation to generation and it has all of the information that has been written down by one of the ancestors of the Great Dragon." she told us before she handed the book that she held. When we flipped the very first page, man, were we in for a surprise.

"Big bro… isn't that…!" Akira stammered.

"No doubt about it… that armor is similar to yours, Kurogasa. Even the Rouzer is drawn on it as well…" Kurai said shocked by it too.

"No way… I don't believe this…" I said. "The blue armor, the Spade, the Blay Rouzer, everything…" I then flipped to the next pages. "Look! There's Garren, Chalice, Leangle… all of them are there! Even Glaive, Lance, and Larc!"

Everyone was also in disbelief as we showed to them and I gotta tell you, everyone had the same expression as they continued to look at the book and us back and forth. As we turned on the next page, there are sections of the Undead and as we continued to scan through. All of this stuff was somehow related to the Blade series! Among all of the pages, on the very last page of the book, there's that one Undead… the Undead that only appeared on Missing Ace and Decade… and the details of it is literally the same as the male riders muttered out the same thing in unison.

"Jaishin–14…"

"Huh?" Amber asked confused.

"Jaishin–14?" Mikoto asked as well.

"Mind explaining to us about this… fiend?" Melissa–sempai asked since she wasn't familiar with the terms as well.

"If it's okay, we would like to hear your tale as well…" Vanessa said as all of the Riders looked at me, leaving me with a confused look on my face.

"What?"

"You're the genius on this story… I think _you_ should tell the tale about our _own_ world's Blade series…" Storm said.

"Yes… I think everyone should know about it as well, Kurogasa…" Eirika persuaded since she was the first person I told her about.

"Alright then." I said as I took a deep breath before starting. "10,000 years ago, a massive battle known as the Battle Royale was fought by fifty–two creatures known as the Undead. They were created by God in the form of a stone slab called the Stone of Sealing, to "kill" each other, with the winner granted a wish to alter the world. Each Undead represented a species of animals and battled so they can wish for the species they represent to rule the Earth. The losers would be sealed by the Stone itself. Eventually a winner was decided and the winner was the Human Undead, known as Category Two of Hearts, giving dominion of the Earth to humanity."

The rest of them were surprised to hear such a tale from where we come from as Grandmother was also shocked to hear such claims. "I've never heard a story like that before…" she told us.

"That's because this story occurred in _our_ world…" Kurai played along.

"Really?" Melissa–sempai asked since she doesn't know about it as Amber and Mikoto just listened. In the end, Melissa–sempai just listened quietly.

"Then, what happened? Did your world gain peace?" Amelia asked as Ewan was interested about our legend as well…

"Well… we did have our peace… that is, until someone screwed it up and repeated history again…" Kurai told them, making them gasp, other than Eirika.

"Who in the world would _do_ such a foolish thing?" Innes asked.

"Well, 10,000 years later, after the Battle Royale, a man by the name of Yoshito Hirose broke the Undead Seal in a fit of madness, dying in the process. This was all on accident though, and thus he released the Undead and started a new Battle Royale. Luckily an organization was created to stop the Undead from terrorizing the people. They were called B.O.A.R.D. It's an acronym for Board Of Archeological and Research Development. They developed these." I said as I held up my belt as did the rest of the Riders. "They created these belts to combat the Undead. In our world, we seal them using cards. Using the Ace cards, we are able to inherit traits from the Undead themselves. Seth, did you notice how my armor and Garren's, Chalice's, and Leangle's resembled that of insects?"

"Come to think of it, ever since I witnessed the first transformation, it does resemble insects…" Seth recalled.

"In our world, most of us Riders are all based on insects…" Akira explained to them.

"Who in the world is crazy enough to think something like _that_?" Kyle asked.

"Believe me the one that starts it all must be crazy as well…" Kurai muttered to the side, which left them confused for a moment.

"I believe we have told our part of the story and your story hasn't finished yet…" I said to Grandmother.

"Ever since that day, the people have forgotten about these warriors and the Great Dragon's deeds to the world. To hear the story now, one would think humans alone brought about victory. That is a gross mistelling of the tale. Only through the Great Dragon's strength and the combined power of these seven strange warriors could the Demon King be sealed away!" Grandmother pointed out.

"The Great Dragon and the Demon King… and… the Riders…" Eirika said in a low tone while looking at us; more specifically me.

"Uh… what does the demon king look like?" I asked.

"It is all in the book, young man…" she told us as we flipped the book and there was written Demon King and much to our surprise…

"Summoned Skull, anyone?" Mikoto said pointing out the Yu–Gi–Oh! reference.

"Seems like the Joker Undead is considered as another monster as well, right?" Melissa–sempai added.

"And Jaishin–14 is the result of the combination of two creating the Demon King in this world…" I concluded as Grandmother nodded in agreement.

"Mankind may have forgotten its debt, and these strange warriors have sacrificed themselves for their sake but the Great Dragon never forgets. It watches over the bones of the Demon King in Darkling Woods. It keeps the Demon King's dark brood from swarming the world of men. The Great Dragon's vigilance alone has kept us safe from their blind rage." Grandmother told us.

"Is that so? I'm… I'm sorry, I never knew…" Eirika apologized.

"Yeah, me too… but still, these legends are just too surreal…" I told her.

"It is alright, but still, you don't need to know everything, but you should remember that." Grandmother informed us.

"It seems like history has repeated once again…" Akira said concerned.

"And it was quite a coincidence… their arrival appeared right after Grado started their war…" Seth said.

"So then… does this mean it could be their destiny to fulfill?" Natasha asked.

"If the legends stated are true, then yes, the legend begins again…" Lute said until Eirika remembered something.

"Yet, Grandmother, we encountered those creatures on the way here. And they have begun to appear in the land we live in as well. What does this mean?" Eirika asked her.

"And not to mention some of the Undead managed to get out from their seals…" Amber added.

"If what I think is true, these… Undead, you refer to, might have hidden well after the final battle, waiting for the right time to strike again…" Grandmother theorized. "And you have seen the effects of the omen that has appeared in the south. There is an energy there that has fouled the air and darkened the sky. The Great Dragon left Darkling Woods and went south to investigate. We of the village wished to protect the Great Dragon, so I sent my grandson, Saleh, as long as well. But they became embroiled in battle, and the Great Dragon disappeared." Grandmother sighed. "Since that time, there's been no sign of the Great Dragon either here or abroad. We grew worried and directed Saleh to look for any trace of the Great Dragon. I am worried that the source of the foul energy may be responsible." she said worried.

"A foul energy…" Eirika pondered. "From the south? Myrrh said something similar to this, too. Is the Great Dragon you speak of… one of the Manakete?"

"Manakete?!" Grandmother exclaimed in shock. "How _dare_ you speak so of the Great Dragon!" That causes Eirika to flinch.

"I–I'm sorry." Eirika apologized, but Grandmother waved it off.

"But if you've seen the noble Myrrh, perhaps I can proceed more quickly." Wait a minute, Myrrh?! Myrrh is the Great Dragon?! You've gotta be kidding me! That little indigo haired girl is the Great Dragon?! "You see, our Great Dragon took the form of Mistress Myrrh in her travels. And you tell me that you have seen the Great Dragon yourself, lass?"

"Yes. Myrrh was with my brother." Eirika answered.

"What?!" Grandmother gasped. "Where is this brother of yours!?" She demanded.

"He leads a force of men against Grado and Myrrh is with him. He's a capable warrior. I'm sure she'll be safe with him." I answered.

"Saleh, this is urgent! You must leave for Grado at once and rescue the Great Dragon!" Grandmother urged.

"Understood." Saleh said. "I will–"

"Oh, where are _you_ off to?" L'Arachel asked. "If you're going to Grado, the swiftest route takes you through Jehanna. It would be to your advantage to join us in our journey for a time. It's far safer than being on your own."

"You have a point…" Saleh admitted. "Mistress Eirika, protecting the Great Dragon is my duty. Please allow me to travel with you on the road ahead."

"Of course…" Eirika nodded.

* * *

That night, I was my guest bedroom thinking about everything that happened; especially with us Riders as legends. I mean c'mon this is all surreal. Kamen Rider Blade is nothing more than fictional TV show and yet somehow it's a legend here in this world. How that happened is beyond me. "Hey, buddy… you okay?" a voice asked and when I looked at my side, Storm was there as he sat at a chair in front of me.

"I guess so…" I told him.

"I know what you're thinking… and even _I'm_ in shock. Heck, everyone in the _hallway_ is also discussing about it…"

"Yeah… who would've thought a fictional TV show is a legend here."

"Like Grandma said before, it wasn't a mere coincidence when we first got here… I mean, her explanations are already good proof to know these buckles and weapons became real in the first place! And let's not forget we're the chosen ones for sealing up Joker Undead and Summoned Skull or else, we might have to face the might of Jaishin–14…"

"It's not Summoned Skull, Storm… its Fomortiis…"

"Whatever, that thing looks like one anyways…" Storm added.

"Kurogasa?" A voice asked. It was Eirika.

"Eirika, what is it?" I asked her and Storm suddenly stood up from where he sat and walked out from the room.

"I think I should see what Amber is up to… maybe she needs some comfort after listening to that story…" he told me as both Eirika and I nodded before he was gone from my view.

Eirika entered the room and she sits right in front of me. "Are you alright? Have you calmed down about what you've heard from Grandmother?" she asked concerned.

"Yeah… a little bit… it's still all surreal though…"

"I still can't believe either…" Eirika agreed. Both of us were silent for a while until Eirika remembered something. "Um… Kurogasa, you promised to tell me about what's been bothering you. You can tell me…" I was startled by that for a moment before I regained my composure.

"Huh… oh right…" I said. My breathing started to get a little bit labored and panicking all of a sudden. "I'm sorry, it's just…" Eirika then placed a hand on mine making me look at her.

"It's okay, you can tell me…" Eirika said softly.

"Are you sure?" I asked looking at her with a painful look on my face. "I mean, this… thing that's been bothering me… it's very painful for me to tell… just thinking about it…"

"I said its okay…" Eirika said. "I want to help you…" I looked at her for a while until I eventually nodded. I motioned for her to lean in to which she did and I whispered in her ear the very dream that I had of her. Eirika gasped in horror as he pulled back from me. "I was… what?" Eirika gasped.

"And the worst part was… I couldn't do anything to stop it…" I said as I held myself, while trembling, bowing my head down while my hair covered my eyes. Tears soon started to fall from my face. "I'm scared Eirika… scared that my dream might come true…" I sobbed. If anything happened to you, I'd never forgive myself…"

At first, I thought that Eirika would freak out then back away from me, which I feared the most. But that didn't happen… instead, without a second thought, she suddenly embraced me to calm me down. "Kurogasa… it's okay. It was only a dream."

"But… I…"

"I know you're stronger than that. Father told me once that dreams are nothing more than an illusion. What's most important is the reality and knowing what to face ahead…" she said with a smile on her face.

"…Really? Y–You mean that?" I asked.

She nodded. "Yes. I promise you this… if you ever have that dream again keep trying… try, until you succeed in saving me from him… even if it took you a few tries. I believe… you are stronger than this, Kurogasa…" her explanation was enough to calm my whole body down as she looked at me with a smile of hers. Not to mention my gaze met upon her determined look in her eyes.

"I see…" I smiled gently then suddenly hugged her.

"K–Kurogasa?"

"I promise… I won't let anything happen to you… I'll protect you… even if this world is full of enemies you're the one thing that I must protect…"

Eirika didn't know what to do after being hugged from me as the only thing she can do is return the embrace. "Kurogasa…" she replied softly as both of us broke from our hug having a slight blush on her face. "You've been helping me too much… at the very least, I can return the favor…"

"I guess so…" I said still having that gentle smile on my face. It was then I noticed that both of our faces were getting closer and somehow it reminded me of that time… the time when I was on top of her. For some reason, our faces were getting closer and closer until–

"Hey, have any of you see Aki–" a voice suddenly froze up as both of us turned towards the door, it was Mikoto and she was stammering after seeing our face was _way_ too close to be true.

"A–Ah, Mikoto! I–It's not what you think!' Eirika tried to deny as Mikoto's face got redder.

"Are you two… um…," Mikoto gulped down before she stuttered. "…about to… kiss?"

"Um…" I got out.

"I–I'll just leave you two alone." Mikoto said before she ran off.

"Well… _that_ happened…" I blinked.

"Y–Yes…" Eirika said before she stood up and was somehow in a rush to get out from my room while her face is still blushing. "P–Please excuse me…"

"Wait hold on!" I said. Eirika stopped to look at me.

"W–What is it?" Eirika asked as I walked up to her.

"Let me at least give you _this_, as thanks for helping me." I said then made the most daring move I ever made yet, which was kissing her cheek. Eirika was, of course, surprised from my sudden bold action as she felt the kiss on her cheeks with her fingers. "Like you said before, I'm just returning the favor…"

"R–Right… w–well, good night then…" Eirika said before she walked out of the room, leaving me alone.

* * *

_Late at night, both the Frelian siblings were arguing with each other in the hallway. "…Tana, why are you involved in this mess? You have no place on the battlefield. I want you to return to Castle Frelia immediately." Innes told his sister._

_"Why does everyone say that!?" Tana said frustrated. "I am one of Frelia's Pegasus knights and a trained soldier! I studied with Syrene and Vanessa, two of Frelia's finest!"_

_"And you're also a Frelian princess!" Innes reminded her, which she was annoyed about. "You should not be fighting! What would happen if you were injured?" He scolded her._

_"No! I'm not going back!" Tana shouted at him._

_"Tana!"_

_"I won't go back!" Tana exclaimed before she ran away from him, leaving Innes with a sigh._

_"Why does she always have to be like this?" Innes asked himself as he placed his palm on his face._

* * *

_"Is something bothering you?" a voice asked as Innes turned around, he saw L'Arachel looking at him with a confused look on her face._

_"It's nothing…" Innes told her._

_"You know, I believe this is our first chance to speak privately." she remembered before she introduced herself. "I am L'Arachel of the Theocracy of Rausten. It's a pleasure to meet you."_

_"I believe you already know my name. I am Innes, Prince of Frelia." he introduced himself._

_"Oh, I remember, the seafood was delicious there!" she added as Innes just nodded._

_"Yes. I would agree that the fish of my homeland is not unpleasant." he informed her._

_"Yes. However it does not compare with that of my home, Rausten." She boasted._

_"Is that so?" Innes raised his eyebrow before he crossed his arms. "I know not what fish your country has to offer, but I have a hard time imagining they could be that much tastier than our own."_

_"Your doubt is not surprising." L'Arachel said before she gets an idea. "Once this war is over, you must come and visit Rausten. I think it best if you try a wide variety of our fish for yourself." _

_Innes pondered for a moment before he came to a conclusion as he faced her with a slight smile on his face with interest. "That's a good idea. I will most certainly do so. And perhaps you have not tasted all the fish Frelia has to offer. To be sure, you should visit again. Perhaps a culinary exchange is in order. It may be you change your opinion." Innes offered her._

_"We'll see. Very well, I accept your invitation." she accepted with a smile on her face. "I will visit your country once more and taste your national dishes."_

* * *

Man, what is with all that yelling? I'm trying to go to sleep here. But the arguing got louder and louder! In the end, I've reached my limit and I decided to get out of the room and see what's wrong. Just when I opened up the door, I saw a crying Tana running at the door which led to outside of this house. "Did something just happen?" I asked myself as I looked at the other direction and noticed Innes was placing his palm over his eyes and from the looks of it, it seems like something must've happened. "Oh boy I better see what's wrong." I said running a hand through my hair before running after Tana. When I got out though, she was nowhere to be found. "Tana! Where are ya?" I called out, but no answer. I continued to search for her around my surroundings and with the assistance of a full moon, I finally found her. She was near the lake and she was a bit angry. How can I tell? Just by watching her throw some pebbles at the lake to let out some of anger.

"That brother of mine! Why does he always think that staying in the castle is best for me?!" Tana said angrily as she threw another pebble at the lake.

"Tana?"

Tana was startled before she turned around and looked at me. She wiped off her tears before putting her big smile to me. "Kurogasa, what brings _you_ here?" she asked me as she tried to cover up but I can already see through her actions earlier.

"I saw you running off to here." I answered. "What happened?" I asked.

"I… I don't want to talk about it…" Tana pouted as she sat next to the edge of the lake while hugging her legs close to her chest with a sad look.

"C'mon, you can tell me…" I said sitting next to her.

It took a while of convincing her before she finally opened up to me. "My brother… he always thought that staying in the castle is the best solution for me. Even my father thinks the same way!"

"That's because they care about you. Your father and your brother don't want to see you hurt." I told her.

"But I can't just let Eirika, Ephraim and others go out there and put their lives at risk! I'm a Frelian Pegasus Knight! I should go and help them out as well! I can't let them get injured while I do nothing about it!" she expressed.

"I know… you're a good–hearted person I can tell."

Hearing a comment from me made her blush for a bit as the silent night accompanied us for a while before she broke the ice. "Kurogasa… have you… found the answer yet? The one I asked you… and the reply of my confession…" she asked me while looking at me with her beautiful blue eyes.

"Not yet… I'm still trying to get my feelings in order."

"I see…" Tana said before she looks back at the lake. "I was hoping to get an answer from you today…" she said a little depressed about it.

"I'm sorry Tana, it's just…"

"Don't worry. I understand…" Tana assured me before she stood up and looked at me with a smile on her face. "Thanks for cheering me up, Kurogasa. I really needed that."

"Sure… no problem." I smiled back.

And before I knew it, she bent down and landed a kiss on my cheek, which caught me off guard for a moment. "I guess I'll tackle you in the morning, then!" she perked up before running back happily to Grandmother's house. Wait… did I hear that right? Did she just say 'tackle' instead of 'see'? Oh, boy I'm gonna be in for a rude awakening when I wake up.

* * *

Okay, and there's another lengthy chapter down! Woo! This is good! And as always, review!

**Spades:** A, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, J, Q  
**Diamonds:** A, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, J, Q  
**Hearts:** A, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, **10**,J, Q  
**Clubs:** A, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, **9**,10, J, Q  
**Trial:** A, B, **C**


	16. Chapter 13: Hamill Canyon

Hey there people, you know what time it is! It's another chapter of Kamen Rider Blade: The Sacred Stones! So let's get on to it!

Disclaimer: Same thing.

* * *

Chapter 13: Hamill Canyon

_In the early morning, Grandmother woke up and headed towards the kitchen. When she noticed the light was on, it turns out that Melissa was there drinking a glass of milk while looking a little bit concerned. "Is there something bothering you, child?"_

_"Oh… Grandmother. No, it's nothing… I just woke up from my sleep and I don't seem to be able to go back to sleep." Melissa told her._

_"I see. Mind if you help this Grandmother prepare breakfast today for your friends, dear?" Grandmother offered as she obliged to help her with a kind smile._

_Grandmother decided to prepare some porridge for today's breakfast as Melissa and Grandmother got started with the ingredients. After 1 hour of preparations and cooking, while waiting for the porridge to be cooked after preparing some side dishes on the table, both Melissa and Grandmother sat next to each other to chat. "You know… you remind me of my late grandmother from where I come from…"_

_"Oh, really, child?"_

_"Yes…" she nodded as she took out a silver heart locket that was hidden inside her cleric dress and showed the contents of the picture of her late grandmother. "My late grandmother was very kind and a loving person, but she was also a bit strict, but for a good reason. I can still remember it as a child; whenever I came to visit her, she would embrace me and my little brother gently and tends to treat me with love and care whenever my parents were busy. She gave me this locket on my 6th birthday, before she passed on two months later. I have always cherished this locket and brought this along with me wherever I go." Melissa said before closing it and hid it back under her dress. She then looked at Grandmother with a smile. "Whenever I look at you, you make me feel nostalgic as you have treated us very well, despite us being strangers…" she said as she wiped out a small tear in her right eye after she remembered her childhood past._

_"Do not worry, dear. Your beautiful appearance reminded me of my daughter and Saleh's mother, Matilda." Grandmother told her, which surprised Melissa. "Yes, she had the same appearance just like you, but with black hair, of course. Matilda always helped me around the house and taking care of Saleh when he was a child. But… one day, a monster attacked this village and Matilda sacrificed herself to protect her son from its dreaded claws attacking my grandchild as her father was able to kill it down; not before the fiend also killed him as well…"_

_"I'm… sorry to hear that…" Melissa got out while covering her mouth with her hand._

_"Do not worry, child. Saleh still has this frail grandmother to take care of him until he's fully grown up." Grandmother told her as her old hands held onto Melissa's soft hands. "When I first noticed you, I have thought Matilda have been reborn and returning back to home. At first, I wanted to spend some time with you since you have her beautiful appearance, but after knowing you are among the chosen ones to defeat this Demon King, it breaks my heart to see you getting yourself injured…"_

_"I understand how you feel for me, Grandmother, but if this is my fate, then I accept it with open arms, even if it is a dangerous one…" Melissa replied to her. "If you don't mind… may I.. look at you as my grandmother?"_

_"Of course, my grandchild. That would make this woman happy." she told her before the two embraced gently before they broke off and chat happily while still waiting for the porridge to cook._

* * *

"*Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaawn*", oh man… what a good sleep. I haven't had a good in a sleep in a long time. As I soon as I got off the bed though. The door suddenly flung open and…

"Kurogasaaaaaaaaaa~~~"

"OOF!"

"Like she promised last night, Tana would tackle me down… now you know.

"Good morning, legendary hero of mine! How are you this morning?!" Tana chirped after she tackled me cleanly off from my bed as she does the usual clinging on my arm and holding it very tightly close to her chest, much to my dismay.

"Morning… Tana…" I managed to cough out. "Well… you did as you promised… you tackled me…"

"Of course! I always keep my promise!" Tana chirped before she pulled me up and noticed Storm with his half–awake look on his face, looking at our direction.

"Man, Kurogasa… why do you have to scream out loud in the middle of the morning?" Storm groaned while scratching the back of his head before both Kurai and Akira woke up from their respective beds.

"What's with the noise early in the morning? Can't you see I'm trying to sleep in peace over here?!" Kurai complained.

"Sorry… Tana decided to give me a wake–up call by tackling me." I apologized.

"Isn't he gonna get hurt like that, big sis?" Akira asked her while he rubbed his eyes.

"Nope! He's already used to it!' she answered for me.

"It's gonna be a pain for you, that's for sure…" Kurai chuckled.

"No kidding…" I sighed.

"Aw, don't be such a party pooper, now c'mon, let's get some breakfast!" Tana chirped before she dragged outside my room.

"Oi! C–Chotto matte!" I said, but it was no use seeing as she kept on dragging me.

"Is it just me… or am I seeing him being overpowered by big sis?" Akira questioned.

"Seems like sooner or later, he's gonna get himself a harem of girls…" Kurai muttered before looking away. "And that's an eyesore…"

"Yeah, I can understand you, Kurai…" Storm said shaking his head with a smile on his face.

* * *

_Outside of the house, while Franz was getting some fresh air, he heard a noise somewhere nearby and when he got to the source of it, it turns out Amelia was practicing with her lance impressing him for a bit. It was then Amelia spotted Franz. "Ah! Franz, was it?"_

_"That's right." he nodded. "How are you? Getting the hang of things?"_

_"Oh, yes. Quite!" Amelia replied happily. "You know, everyone here is so much friendlier than the folks in Grado. I'm glad there are so many people around my age traveling with us!"_

_"Yeah. I think I'm about the same age as you are, too. You know what that means?" he asked her, as she had no idea what he meant by that. "That means, from now on, you're my rival."_

_"What?" Amelia blinked in confusion._

_"What do you say?" Franz asked her._

_"Um…" she pondered before she came to a conclusion and looked at him with a concerned look. "Well, does that mean… I have to fight you?"_

_"No, no. It's nothing as complicated as all that." Franz waved off. "We'll just work together. See, I'll try to be better than you, and you try to be better than me! Every day, try to be a better person than you are today. It's easier to do when you've got someone to work with." he explained to her._

_"I see… But why?"_

_"Yes, well. Um…" he looked down for a bit before he explained again. "My brother's a knight, too, and he's had someone like that for a long time. I've always been envious of the competitive relationship he has. They compete, and they argue, and they bicker… But I know they respect one another, and they grow together. I envy that."_

_"Um… I'm not sure I can be like that." she told him before Franz laughed it off._

_"Don't worry about it. It doesn't matter who you are. All that really matters is that we have someone like that in our lives. Besides, you are a qualified soldier, are you not?"_

_Amelia looked away for a moment. "Er… I'm not honestly sure I'm even qualified to be out here."_

_"Same here. That's why I picked you!" Franz said with a smile, which caught her attention. "Let's work together!"_

_"All right! I'm not sure I can live up to your expectations… But I'll do my best." she told him._

_"Good. It's nice to meet you, Amelia."_

_"It certainly is!"_

* * *

_Inside a room, Glen groaned and slowly opened his eyes. When he was coming to, he noticed he was inside the house, on the bed before he looked to the side and noticed Seth was looking at him on the wall. "You have awakened…" Seth spoke._

_"I suppose so…" Glen grunted as he sat up slowly. He then noticed that one arm was missing. "Right… that bastard Valter severed my arm…"_

_"I'm afraid so…" Seth told him. "You were bleeding badly, leaving you pale on your expression. If it wasn't for our healers to heal you, you might not be able to survive with such a wound." he explained to him, which Glen held onto his wounded, now healed, shoulder where there was once an arm. "Tell me, why did Valter severed your arm, as both of you are on the same side at Grado?"_

_"As promised, I was planning to return to the capital and ask the Emperor for the truth as I told your Princess. However… Valter blocked my way and tried to kill me. One of my soldiers managed to stop him from killing me and I fled. I flew to your group and well… here we are."_

_"I see…" Seth crossed his arms. "So, in other words, you've been backstabbed by him… for what reason?"_

_"He said he wanted to start a war and that way… he can have all the fun that he wanted…" he explained to him, as Seth's expression changed in an instant._

_"That fiend… I won't forgive him for what he wanted Princess Eirika to be dead…" Seth said angered._

_"Oh, I don't think he plans to kill her…" Glen said._

_"Initially, he was… until we encountered him again and he planned to turn her into his puppet bride. I have seen his skills with his lance and he easily took out all of the Riders right in front of us… he has been toying with us before he was got serious…" Seth said lowering his head as the room is filled with silence once again._

_At that point, Ewan barged into the room with a happy smile on his face. "Hey, misters! Grandmother told me to get you guys to have breakfast now!" Ewan said._

_"Oh, thank you, lad. We'll be there shortly." Seth told him._

_"Okay~!" Ewan said happily before he went out of the room, leaving two men in the room._

_"That boy sure is active…" Glen said with a slight chuckle._

_"He is… but for now, we can discuss it later and have breakfast…" Seth told him as Glen nodded before the two head out._

* * *

I gotta say… breakfast was… kinda awkward… especially when you have a General of the Grado army eating with you, and you just can't help but stare at him because he's missing an arm. As Glen took his bite on his porridge, he noticed me looking at him. "Something bothering you, lad? Is it because of my missing arm?"

"Yeah, sorry, if I'm rude, but… I just couldn't help but stare." I said scratching the back of my head, laughing sheepishly. "What happened anyways?" I knew Valter did it, but now that he's fully conscious, we can get a full explanation from him. So, he began to tell us the whole truth about wanting to meet the king in the first place, but he was blocked by Valter all because of his suspicions of his Emperor's decision. We were in shocked to hear that Valter doesn't want peace as it would make things worse for him to find more fights to his heart's desire.

"Oh my…" Natasha said in disbelief.

"That's some dream that fool had in mind…" Gerik said as Marisa listened closely while taking another spoonful of porridge.

"Indeed… but I'm not the only one who was suspicious of the Emperor's actions recently… me and the other two generals, the Imperial Three of Grado, were _also_ suspicious on why would he recruited three more generals with dark desires to do his biddings, hence forming the Six Generals. The original purpose of the Imperial Three was to keep Grado safe from harm… but now… I don't know what to say…" Glen said before taking another spoonful of his porridge.

"Don't worry, we'll stop him." I assured Glen. "He'll pay for tarnishing your good name and the Imperial Three. And when this war is over, you can restore it to its former glory."

"I wouldn't be so sure if I were you, lad…" he intervened before he shifted his attention to Natasha. "Cleric of Grado, Natasha. You have seen the true face of the Emperor, correct?"

"Yes… my master has told me about that before he was slain… why would the Emperor slay a holy man?" Natasha said saddened by the fact, as Joshua tried to comfort her.

"I am from Grado as well, and I've noticed a lot of changes among the people and the soldiers as well…" Amelia pointed out.

"Even though I've been there with Natasha before we joined with everyone else, even the soldiers of Grado wanted to kill us for betraying their country as we have known the truth…" Melissa–sempai added.

"Well, I don't know about _you_ all, but one thing I _do_ know is that this war has got to end. And soon." I said.

"I agree… the sooner we defeat them, the faster we can avoid the revival of the Demon King…" Innes added.

"And protecting the Stones that have sealed him for a long time as well!" L'Arachel finished.

* * *

"Thank you for taking care of us. We are in your debt, Matron." Innes thanked her.

"Not at all. All of our guidance comes from the Great Dragon." she informed him before she looked upon her grandchild. "Saleh."

"Yes, I know. The road to Jehanna lies here." Saleh pointed out.

"Grandmother, thank you so much for everything." Eirika said while hugging her, followed by Tana.

"Yeah! The view here looks great!" Tana added.

"I'm sure it does…" Grandmother said before she shifted her attention to Melissa–sempai. "Oh, Melissa, come here for a moment…"

"Yes…?" Melissa–sempai said as she walks towards Grandmother and looked at her concerned. "What is it, Grandmother?"

"I would like to thank you for spending your time with me, even though it was only for a short time." Grandmother said.

"Please, I also had a wonderful time… Melissa–sempai added before Grandmother took her hand and slides in a ring onto her sweet finger, much to Melissa–sempai's surprise. "Grandmother? What _is_ this?"

"My late daughter always wore this ring that I gave to her on her birthday. I have no other reason to wear it but to give it to you, since you are my grandchild in _my_ view as I am your grandmother in _your_ view. And look, it fits perfectly.' Grandmother expressed kindly and smiled as Melissa–sempai hugged her once again.

"Thank you, Grandmother! I'll treasure it."

"I know you will, dear. You just made this woman a happy lady once again…" she added as the two break off from their hug before shifting her attention to us. "I know you'll help the Great Dragon, but please look after Saleh as well. He's not very personable, but he's the only grandchild I have."

"Of course, Grandmother." I nodded. "You have our word."

* * *

_As most of the girls inside the caravan looked at the ring that Melissa received from Grandmother earlier, Joshua was looking worried over the fact we're heading towards Jehanna. "Jehanna, huh? It's been 10 years since I went away from the castle…" Joshua looked down and Natasha noticed his expression._

_"Joshua, what is the matter?" she asked him, which snapped Joshua out of it._

_"Oh, it's nothing. I just remembered something about Jehanna, that's all." Joshua told her._

_"Really?"_

_"Yeah. It's a desert nation which is infamous for its mercenary forces." Joshua added before he looks back to the front. "In other words, if somehow Grado hired some of those guys, we might face some trouble…"_

_"I see…" Natasha understood before she left him be._

_"I wonder how you are right now… Mother…" Joshua whispered to himself._

* * *

Along the way, as we finally reached the end of the mountain and on firm ground, L'Arachel began asked us something. "Has any of you been familiar with the tale, about the Queen of White Dunes?"

"No." I told her.

"Me neither. I bet the rest of the Riders don't know about it either…" Storm added.

"Ah, yes, Queen of White Dunes, Queen Ismaire. She is the just, beautiful, and beloved queen of Jehanna, which she took the throne in accordance with her dying husband's wish. But I heard that 10 years ago, her son left Jehanna due to unknown reasons…" Seth informed.

"Really…" I said. "That's sad to hear…"

"I know that story as well!" Tana joined in. "But I feel bad for the Queen. I bet she must be lonely without her son since her husband died…"

"I believe so, Tana…" Eirika supported.

"I've heard the story as well." Gerik also joined as he walked with us. "From what I heard from my boys, they say his son joined a mercenary group somewhere in Jehanna before he eventually gone solo or died from fighting with one of the enemies' soldiers while he's being hired for something…"

"Is it true?" Gilliam asked.

"It's just a rumor, so anything can happen…" Gerik shrugged.

"So, anything is possible, huh? I can't say his actions by leaving Jehanna are bad or anything, but… shouldn't he at least leave a note to her or something?" Storm pondered.

"It's possible that he did." Seth told us.

"I was wondering about that, too…" Forde added.

"Either way, we should continue heading towards Jehanna and hope for the best Grado hasn't taken over it just yet…" Vanessa told us before we continue on with our journey.

* * *

_At the same time, Lute had also questioned the same thing and explained to them all. Most of them are in shock too._

_"Oh dear… I hope he's okay…" Melissa said worried._

_"I feel bad for the Queen already…" Amber added._

_"Why would he do something like that?!" Mikoto expressed her anger unknowingly making Joshua flinch._

_"Only the divine knows the truth…" Artur told her as Natasha seemed to remember something._

_"Joshua, have you somehow met the prince of Jehanna during your time as a mercenary?"_

_"Not that I can think of any…" he lied to her, which the prince was right in front of them the whole time._

_"I wonder if the prince is really okay right now." Amelia wondered which Joshua let out a sad look on his face, unknown to everyone around him._

* * *

_"And that's how the story goes…" Innes also informed the other group in the caravan as Tethys tried to think of it as well._

_"Wow~! That's a great story!" Ewan said interested as Saleh just kept quiet to himself._

_"Hm… we only heard a rumor that he joined a mercenary group in Jehanna before heading off somewhere…" Tethys added._

_"I don't know much about it, but at least I heard the rumor about it…" Marisa told them._

_"Geez, that prince really does know when to leave at that bad time…" Ross grumbled._

_"But, he has his reasons for doing so…" Garcia told him._

_"Of course! He must be grown tired of being royalty and head off to training or something!" Dolza told them before he lets out his mighty laugh._

_"Whatever happened to him, I don't care much, just as long as we protect the Sacred Stone at Jehanna, that's all that matters…" Kurai said._

_"I agree with him!" Colm added. "And besides, if those Grado forces have some treasure chests in there, my fingers are itching for more!"_

_"C–Colm!" Neimi intervened while guarding the back of their caravan._

_"What?! It's just my nature!" Colm told her._

_"Either way, we just have to make sure those guys haven't reached there just yet… or any Undead appear out of the blue…" Akira said._

_"The lad's right…" Gilliam added as he was also guarding the back._

_"May the light shine upon the path we take…" Father Moulder prayed._

_"Cormag, I hope you are alright… I just hope you didn't fall for Valter's tricks…" Glen pondered to himself while looking up at the sky._

* * *

_"My brother is… dead?" Cormag breathed out. "That can't be! That's impossible!"_

_"There's no mistake. Look for yourself." Valter told him as he threw Glen's arm right in front of Cormag, shocking him. "I've brought his arm with me since I can't find his body elsewhere; probably being chopped into many parts with holes everywhere! There's no doubt this arm belongs to him, isn't it?" Valter said with a smug on his face; clearly taking advantage of Cormag's situation as he knelt down and held his brother's arm tightly._

_"No… brother…"_

_"Not a pretty sight, eh?" Valter mocked. "You'll be hard pressed to ready that for a proper burial since we can't find all of his parts… But listen, Cormag. There's no reason for you to grieve," he told him as Valter had something on his mind. "After all, who is better than you to replace your brother in His Majesty's service? Picture it: General Cormag, the new and improved Sunstone, eh?"_

_"Who did this…?" Cormag let out. "Who is responsible? Who!" Cormag demanded._

_"Glen's last orders were to find and subdue Eirika." Valter answered. "'Tis a pity I was delayed. I arrived to witness the final blow myself. I watched Eirika run her blade right through his chest and then after, the Riders mutilated his face beyond recognition before they chopped him to pieces." Of course Valter wouldn't tell Cormag truth, because he got away. But he was a pure genius when it came to lying._

_"Eirika! Riders!" Cormag spat out. "Where are they now?"_

_"Hm? What would you do if I told you?" Valter asked, smiling a little. "Without orders from his Majesty…"_

_Whatever words he was about to say next became irrelevant as Cormag grabbed Valter by the collar of his armor, lifting him off the floor and slamming him to a wall. "ANSWER ME!" Cormag bellowed._

_"…In the eastern mountains of Carcino." He smiled smugly. "The forests are thick in that region. It won't be easy finding them, but…" Without another word, Cormag let go of Valter and stormed off to get to his Wyvern. "Gone already?" He said amused. "I've sent a gift your way, Eirika, but I trust you can handle it." He said, kissing the palm of his hand then blowing on it, as if to send the touch towards the woman he named. "You're my girl after all. I need you to be strong for m… Heh, heh… Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha!"_

* * *

For some reason, Eirika, felt an ice cold chill down her spine and trembled a bit.

"You okay?" I asked Eirika concerned.

"For some reason… I feel like something bad is heading towards this direction…" Eirika shuddered while rubbing her left arm concerned.

"Eirika…" Tana was a bit concern for her friend.

I then placed a hand on her shoulder as she looked. "Don't worry; I told you before, I'll protect you." I assured her. "And I told you last night. Even if this world is full of enemies, you're the one thing that I must protect."

"Kurogasa…" Eirika let out, softly smiling at me and the atmosphere was good too… until Tana grabbed my arm and held it tightly, much to our surprise.

"What about _me_~? You would do the same too, right, my legendary hero?" Tana said happily, as Vanessa shook her head lightly. "Besides, she's not the _only_ one you have to protect, remember~?" she said with a wink.

"T–Tana!" Eirika said with a slight tone of jealousy from Tana's sudden action.

"Um… yeah, sure…" I got out chuckling nervously.

After a while of traveling, we've finally reached towards the border of Jehanna and passed through without any troubles. While we waited for a bit, Ross pointed out a Pegasus Knight heading towards our direction as she turned out to be Frelia's messenger. And as usual, Tana hid behind me to make sure she doesn't get forced to be brought back to the castle, much to my dismay.

"Messenger! Messenger! I bring word from Frelia!" she spoke catching Innes's attention.

"Go on. What news do you bring?" he asked her, which made her surprised for a moment.

"Prince Innes! You're alive and well!" she exclaimed before she coughs and gets back to the point. "When the reinforcements rode into Carcino, you were nowhere to be seen… We thought perhaps the enemy forces had reached you and… It's good to see you well, milord."

"I'm sorry to have troubled you." Innes apologized to her. "But remember, the duty I bear is a harsh master. It will not let me die easily."

"Of course. Prince Innes…" the messenger replied back.

With the introductions out of the way, Innes got strict once again. "Yes, what word do you bring of Frelia? Speak!"

"Yes, Your Highness!" The woman replied. "Frelia has invaded Carcino and engaged the traitor Pablo's mercenary army. With aid from Elder Klimt, we are crushing the foe where we find them. Pablo's faction is retreating ever southward, towards Jehanna…"

"Towards Jehanna?" Innes asked.

"That's not good…" I muttered. "He must be trying to join with the Grado forces."

"And we'll likely be stuck fighting them." Innes finished.

"Pardon me, but I must know…" Eirika began. "Do you have word of my brother?"

"Yes." The woman nodded. "Prince Ephraim has forced the surrender of Grado's fortress at Rigwald. He is now marching onward toward the imperial capital."

"Toward the capital…" Eirika spoke softly.

"That fool… Emperor Vigarde himself and his imperial guard are in the capital." Innes said. "It's too strong a force… even for Ephraim."

"No…" Eirika replied, shaking her head. "I believe in my brother. I know he fights still. This bracelet tells me so."

"Besides, for now, those guys have to be worried about _us_ instead!" Storm said with a smile on his face.

"Yes, what he said is true…" Kyle agreed. "Until then, we must press forward…"

* * *

Right after Innes and the messenger finished discussing with the matter, Eirika and I decided to discuss it with L'Arachel; which she seems to be looking at a place for some reason. It was then she noticed our presence.

"Ah, Eirika, Kurogasa. Is it time to go already?" L'Arachel asked us.

"Yes." Eirika nodded. "We're going to break through the Grado lines and join the army of Jehanna. You should keep to the rear where it's safe…"

"No, I will stay with you." L'Arachel said. "Confronting evil boldly is the sworn duty of any ally of justice. And it may be that Grado's goal is the Stone of Jehanna… I cannot stand by and let it be destroyed."

"Uh… and how do you know that?" I asked suspiciously. We haven't told _anyone_ about Grado's goals of destroying the Stones. At least what I thought.

"Hm?" L'Arachel let off before twisting her head about nervously, "That… uh, well… the… wind whispered to me in the night."

"The wind… whispered to you…" I deadpanned.

"Yes, that's right." L'Arachel replied with a nod. "…And according to that gentle breeze, there are knights riding this way from Rausten even as we speak. If we can but hold out until they arrive, the battle will surely be ours. Come, Eirika, Kurogasa, let us be on our way." She said before riding off.

"That was strange." I said.

"Indeed… just, who are you…" Eirika also questioned while looking at the panicked L'Arachel heading towards Dolza. Something is definitely up…

* * *

_On the other side of the field, Caellach was anticipating their appearance as he crossed his arms and waited patiently… "They should be arriving anytime now. Are you ready, Aias?"_

_A great knight in his 30's, having short blonde hair with a flat cut on the top, a short beard on his face, wearing thick red armor on his horse and wields an axe in his disposal. Riding his horse next to Caellach, he just looked upon the horizon. "Mm. Everything's in place." he said as he began to analyze the whole situation. "This Princess Eirika and so called 'Riders' supposedly defeated General Glen into pieces. I wonder… If it's true, then she's a foe to be reckoned with, along with them and no doubt. Still, there's no reason to worry. I can best her. I know it." he assured Caellach with his confident smile._

_"You'll take her, I've no fear." Caellach replied, smirking. "We fought as mercenaries together, and I know what you're capable of. I could search the continent over and not find a man to match your skills."_

_"I'm honored to hear you say that." Aias said, looking at the general. "But I've no interest in the titles and trapping of Grado's Imperial Army."_

_"Don't say that. You're glad you came with me, right?" Caellach said, patting the great knight's shoulder. "You know we were both sick to death of living like desert rats." He grinned again before gesturing out with both arms to the sky. "I'm going to be king one day. This war is just the beginning."_

_"Ah… It starts again."_

_"Word has it that the Knights of Rausten are riding from the north." The general continued. "They're mine. I can trust this mess to your capable hands, can't I, Aias?"_

_"You remember what they called me when we were mercenaries, don't you?" Aias began. "I was never once wounded on the field of battle. Not once… My skill is not garnish and loud like yours, but I've never known defeat."_

_"Yes, that is true. I'm depending on you, Aias." Caellach grinned before turning to leave. Aias nodded once as he stepped forward to call out at the men._

_"All units prepare for battle!" With the shout of the war cry, the troops began to enter the fray._

* * *

_At the same time, Cormag rides on his Wyvern as he headed straight to where Princess Eirika and her group might be, with vengeance and hatred inside of him. "Eirika… Riders! You all will pay for your crime upon my brother!" Cormag said furious as he lashed his Wyvern to go faster and faster, as it lets out a roar._

* * *

While we continue to move onward, I noticed that I was at the very back of the row of knights and I was right next to Joshua leading the caravan and for some reason, he was a bit depressed about going on this trip. "You okay, Joshua?" I asked.

Joshua snapped out of it before he looked at me with his casual smile. "I'm fine… it's just that… I just have bad memories of this place, that's all. You know us mercenaries… always being hired to do some jobs, even if it ended up soiling my hand on the innocent…"

"I see… Well, whatever you did back then, that's all in the past. You need to focus on now. We need you for this battle."

"I guess you're right, kid…" Joshua said with a smile before I made my horse to go back to the front and for some reason, when I took a sneak behind me, I noticed Joshua somehow feel a little bit upset… and my guts are telling me there's more to him than meets the eye…

After a while, we eventually see the end of the road, as the desert is right just next to them. Yes, when I say them, I mean a barrier of Grado's soldiers on its disposal… and I can see the man in red clad, riding on a horse that leads them… "Princess Eirika. The enemy is arrayed before us." Seth told her.

"That doesn't sound too bad, right? I mean, we can take 'em on like usual…" Storm implied, but Seth shakes his head in disagreement.

"We've word that Pablo's mercenary army is closing in from the rear. Everyone must be cautious." he added.

"Alright, then we might as well split into teams, then. Storm, you, Amber, and Mikoto lead one half of the group, Akira, Kurai, Melissa–sempai, and I will lead the other." I said.

"Gotcha…" Storm said giving me the two–gun salute before he looks at the back. "Alright, Missing Aces! It seems like we're gonna have to show them who's the boss around here!"

"Yeah!" both Amber and Mikoto cheered up happily.

"Since the guy we're dealing here have _tons_ of money, count me in!" Colm was the first one to join in.

"I–I'm staying with C–Colm…" Neimi stuttered.

"My son and I will assist them as well." Garcia told us as he and Ross agreed to it.

"Marisa, you and I are staying here as well. We can let the royal kids to go at the front." Gerik told her.

"Yes, Chief. I'll follow your command…" Marisa said as she held her Shamshir tightly.

"I'll be here to heal their wounds…" Moulder told us.

"This means the rest of us will follow Eirika to the front, don't we, Dolza?" L'Arachel said happily.

"Gwah ha, ha! Right you are, Lady L'Arachel! And I'll be your axe to slay 'em all!" Dolza replied to her.

"Aright then, let's get to work!" I shouted taking out my ace card and buckle and the rest of the main Riders did the same.

"Henshin!"

**TURN/OPEN UP**

**CHANGE**

With that, four rectangles formed in front of us main Riders, as we slowly walked towards the hologram, donning our armors and Glen was surprised to see it firsthand.

"What kind of sorcery _is_ that?" Glen asked us as Saleh looks at him with a neutral look.

"That is the legendary powers that once helped the Great Dragon to stop the madness of Darkness in the past…" Saleh informed him.

"Okay everyone; you guys know what to do!" I said.

"Yep, so see you later!" Storm said before the teams separated and my group charged at the enemy.

"So, what should we do now, kid?" Gerik asked him.

"Now… we just have to wait for the enemy to come by…" Storm reminded him while looking at the other side of the field.

* * *

_Somewhere in one of the abandoned fortresses, far away from other fortresses that have been occupied for Aias's strategy, four Undead that resembled Grado soldiers, revealed themselves from their shell. One of them was the Caucasus Undead which consisted of a beetle's head with a horn of three spikes on it, a pair of little horns on each side of its head, a spiked shoulder pads on each shoulder, light armor and multiple spikes on his lower parts of his armor; all in black with gold highlights. This Undead wields a buckle and a sword in its disposal. "The humans are assembled for something, correct?"_

_"Yes… they say a Rider's group is approaching here…" another Undead replied to Caucasus's question as it consisted of a helmet that resembled a Giraffa beetle with a pair of long horns, having a pair of long spiked shoulder pads, more detailed armor which consisted of spikes on his armor pads and lower parts of its body; all in gold. It wielded a double–edge sword on each hand. This is the Giraffa Undead._

_"The riders have arrived? It seems like our brethren have fallen under their blade…" another Undead spoke as it had a bug helmet with golden antennae, wore a black more complex leather armor with golden spikes attached on the right side of its shoulder pad and donned with black leather on its lower part of its body. This Undead is the Paradoxa Undead as it wields its long sword in its hand._

_"It is our time to avenge the fallen ones, Kings…" the last Undead pointed out as it had a spider's helmet with a few spider legs at the back of its helmet, donned in purple armor with blue spider legs on its right shoulder pad and the back of its ankle as well. Its weapon is consists of a sharp claw on its right hand. This is the Tarantula Undead as it anticipated the Rider's arrival._

* * *

"Take this!" I shouted while rousing two cards.

**SLASH**

**THUNDER**

The holograms of the said cards entered my Rouzer.

**LIGHTNING SLASH**

Crackles of electricity could be heard from my Rouzer as I charged forward and slash at some knights while shocking them at the time.

"Let's see how they like to eat fireballs!" Garren said as he roused three cards.

**BULLET**

**RAPID**

**FIRE**

The holograms of Bullet Armadillo, Rapid Pecker, and Fire Fly entered Garren's armor.

**BURNING SHOT**

Garren took aim of his Rouzer and let off multiple barrages of shots onto the enemy's rangers as they were also trying to attack them from afar, especially towards Tana and Vanessa.

"Thanks~!" Tana thanked Garren.

"We'll continue to press forward!" Vanessa added as the two moved forward and Garren followed suit to take down any Snipers from afar to make sure they're safe.

As one of the archers tried to ride on the ballistae from afar, he was suddenly shot to the head courtesy of Innes' sniping skills before he took control of enemy's ballistae, with the assistance of Gilliam and Seth to protect him. "You two know what to do!" Innes commanded them.

"Don't worry, Prince Innes. We'll protect you from harm." Seth assured as a few mercenaries headed towards their direction.

"C'mon, you Grado creeps! Come and get us!" Gilliam shouted before they crossed blades.

"Wait! Wait! I want to show you guys a new trick!" Ewan bargained with the Grado Soldiers as he and Tethys have been cornered, the latter being a bit surprised from her little brother's action.

"Ewan! What are you doing?!" she asked him.

"Don't worry, just trust me!" Ewan assured her before he conjured a small fireball, which doesn't seem to be threatening to the Grado Soldiers when he threw it right in front of them. The Grado soldiers laughed at his attempt before three more attacks that consisted of inferno, thunder crash, and divine light crashed onto the Grado Soldiers, killing them off in an instant. Lute, Artur and Saleh walked into the fray.

"Are you alright, Ewan?" Saleh asked him.

"I'm okay! It's a good thing you teach me magic, Teacher!" Ewan chirped before a small group of sages headed towards their location.

"Let's welcome their incoming with our fireworks, shall we?" Lute offered.

"Right. I cannot forgive them for what they tried to do to this innocent child…" Artur told them as he held his Divine book.

**DRILL**

**TORNADO**

The holograms of Drill Shell and Tornado entered Chalice's armor.

**SPINNING ATTACK**

"Coming through!" Chalice yelled as the gust of wind circled around him while Kyle, Forde and Franz headed towards them first. He floated to the sky before he dived down and delivered a corkscrew kick onto a group of knights that was standing from the first wave.

**BITE**

**BLIZZARD**

The holograms of Bite Cobra and Blizzard Polar entered into Leangle's armor as some of the Hero mercenaries headed towards their direction.

**BLIZZARD CRUSH**

"Natasha, stay behind me!" Joshua told her as she nodded and did what she was told as Leangle leaped high to the sky, emitting icy frost towards the Hero mercenaries, covering in thin ice to immobilize them. Joshua took the chance by creating a double mirage of himself before slashing towards them as Leangle let out a strong scissor kick onto one of them. The shattering impact caused it to spread among the rest of them, thus leaving only red cubes of enemies around the area.

"May you rest in peace…," Natasha prayed.

Meanwhile, as Glen chases the scared group of soldiers of his 'revival' for revenge on them towards the forest, Eirika, Amelia, L'Arachel and Dolza are on the open field and they are ready to face some more knights head on. "Now, my loyal Dolza! Destroy them with your heart's desire!" L'Arachel declared with her big smile as Dolza lets out his mighty laugh.

"Gwah ha, ha! Destroy! Destroy! Destroy!" Dolza yelled as he charged forward, axe first, to them as Amelia and Eirika followed suit, lunging their lances and rapier onto the gap of armors they could find, thus killing them off with a few stabs of their own. While they are doing so, Amelia noticed something heading towards her direction.

"Princess! There's a Wyvern Rider heading towards our direction!" Amelia called, catching Eirika's attention.

"What?" Eirika asked as she looked up at the sky and saw the furious Cormag as he landed his Wyvern and confronted her, filled with anger and hatred.

"You're Eirika, aren't you?" Cormag asked her.

"I am. And you would be…?"

"You do not know me, but you know my brother well enough. I'm Cormag." He sneered. "I'm the brother of Glen, general of the Grado army, whom you and those so called 'Riders' killed!"

"What?!" Eirika gasped.

"This is no longer war, and this is not a battlefield. This is a duel, and I fight to avenge my brother!' Cormag said furiously before he looked upon Eirika on his Wyvern. "He died in combat, and I'll not foul his name by murdering you unarmed. But I will have vengeance!"

"Hold! What is the meaning of this? General Glen is actually still alive!" Eirika told him.

"Do not play me for a fool! You will not… Your lies do nothing but stain your honor. Nothing more!" Cormag shouted.

"You've got it wrong! You're making a mistake. Your brother and I never fought. He lowered his lance and left the battlefield to confront your Emperor…" Eirika explained to him.

At this point, he began to question himself as he shook his head and glared at the princess. "You lie! Where is your proof?"

"Brother!" A voice shouted.

When Cormag looks to his side and saw his brother in the flesh, with a missing arm, riding out from the forest with his wyvern, he was shocked to see him alive. "Brother!"

"Oh, have you done with the soldiers inside the forest?" L'Arachel asked him, which he simply nodded before looking back at his brother.

"What the Princess stated is the truth…" Glen told him, as Cormag looked upon Eirika before looking back at him. "I did let them be on their way as I wanted to confront the Emperor regarding this war… why does this madness need to happen…?" It was then Cormag began to have doubts about this whole thing.

"Forgive me, Eirika." Cormag apologized. "I shouldn't have doubted you."

"It's alright…" Eirika waved it off.

"But then who? Who benefits from–" Cormag had struck a nerve as he has finally figured out who the true mastermind of the mess was, as he gritted in anger while hissing out a name he hated the most. "Valter…"

"So… he already messed with your head has he?" Glen deadpanned.

"Tch…" Cormag grips on his lance tightly as he looked to Eirika with a determined look on his face. "…Princess Eirika of Renais. I would be your ally."

"What?" Eirika asked a bit surprised.

"I don't care why you're fighting. I've no interest in your goals. I want nothing but revenge, and I will have it. If I can kill Valter with these two hands, what care I if Grado brands me a traitor?" he asked her. Glen couldn't help but have a smile on his face for his brother's decision.

"Then, help us defeat them first if you wanted to get your– no, _our_ revenge…" Glen told him.

* * *

_"Elder Pablo, there's fighting ahead." one of the mercenary informed him._

_"Grr… I've misread the situation." Pablo gritted. "I can't believe I've been forced out of Carcino. It's those accursed Frelian Knights riding down on us from the north. If things don't change quickly, I'll be forced to appeal to Grado for aid. We must prove ourselves worthy allies of Grado. We must have them in our debt! First, I'll use my magic to bury those enemies in the distance!" Pablo said as he held his Purge tome but before he could even read it…_

_"It's about time you show up!" A voice said as the Missing Aces group now confronted them, much to his surprise. Gerik was the one who spoke for the team._

_"Well, look who finally showed up!" Mikoto tease._

_"I thought he's going to hide away from our last encounter…" Amber giggled slightly._

_"Last time we met, all of you gave me a humiliating defeat and the soldiers that I had at the time were easy to defeat, even with the aid from Grado, and the worst part of them all is when I offered you to join my side, and you simply cast it away!" Pablo gritted in anger._

_"Coming back for more, huh?' Colm said with a smug on his face._

_"And this time, it will be _I_ who will have the last laugh! Behold, my strongest line–up!" Pablo declared as a group of mages, mercenary, brigands and one _huge_ warrior stepped forward, trying to intimidate the group._

_"T–They s–seem strong…" Neimi stuttered._

_"Indeed they are…" Ross said worried as Pablo laughed before looking down on them._

_"I've got more money then you've ever seen. What say you? Join me, and take a seat of power at my side." Pablo offered before Storm stepped forward._

* * *

**Insert BGM: Parallel World from Decade OST**

_"I don't think money can solve everything…" Storm added._

_"Yeah, and there's _no_ way we'll be sitting on _your_ side!" Mikoto told him, leaving Pablo shocked._

_"What?! Even now, you _still_ deny my offer?!" Pablo said angrily._

_"Yep, I can't _still_ forget the day you attacked my employer during an assault… and I think I'm gonna make you pay for i…" Gerik smirked._

_"And since you tried to hurt Chief, it's time for a little payback…" Marisa threatened._

_"And there will be no escape this time…" Garcia supported as he held his battle ax in hand._

_"Curse you all! Who do you think you are?!" Pablo said angrily as Storm's smile appeared on his face. The question he was waiting for finally pops out from his mouth and he had only one thing to say._

_"Tōri sugari no_ _Kamen Raidā da, oboetoke!" Storm told him as the Missing Aces' belt were around their waist and leaves a pulsing sound, making Pablo not understand what he just said while the Missing Aces are in their poses._

_"What did you just say?! Speak properly!" Pablo demanded._

_"We're just passing through Kamen Riders! Remember that!" Storm translated. "Ikuze, Amber, Mikoto!"_

_"You got it!" Mikoto chirped._

_"Ready when you are!" Amber added._

_"Henshin!"_

**OPEN UP**

* * *

**BGM: Decade Henshin Theme**

_Three holograms projected in front of them as it slowly pulled back and the Missing Aces now donned in their respective armors. "Let's not keep the guest waiting for us…" Gerik said with an axe in hand, ready to chop their heads off anytime._

_"Ikuze, minna!" Lance shouted as the two sides battled in the middle as Pablo remained at his place. He casted a long ranged spell and a stream of fire gushed out in front of Neimi and Father Moulder. Should the two step forward, it could've been a disaster for both of them._

_"F–Father Moulder, p–please ride on my horse!" she told him as the priest does so while taking out her sword from its sheath and rode her horse towards the enemy's direction. Gerik and Glaive were facing off with a few brigands circling around both of them as the duo was back–to–back to protect each other. When one of the Brigands stepped forward, Gerik immediately took him out with a slash of his axe on their body, letting out a gush of red fountain on him before the rest of the group attacked him simultaneously. Feeling a little bit cheeky, Glaive took out a Common Blank and roused it onto her Rouzer._

**TRIAL… C**

_In an instant, her armor glows radiantly, blinding some of the enemies around them while Gerik covered his eyes from the sudden light. As it dimmed down, while her armor remaining the same, the color on her armor is all yellow and at her lower part of her armor, she had equipped a booster on her boot, dubbed Speedster, to allow her to run in a very fast motion._

_"Nice look…" Gerik whistled at Glaive in her Trial Form._

_"Thanks~!" Glaive chirped. "Now let's have some fun!" She said while rousing a card._

**MIGHTY**

_"You just took that right out of my mouth, lass!" Gerik grinned before he stepped forward and take out some Brigands right in front of him._

_With a hologram entered into her Rouzer, she got into a stance as the sound coming out from Speedster started to get louder. Eventually, when she took her first step, everything around her was in slow motion as the enemies were closing in for the kill. She held her Rouzer downwards and began to slash up on their chest and back before moving onto the next one by stabbing on his stomach and repeating the same pattern onto the next one. As soon as time ran out, she managed to take out more than half of the brigands that surrounded them earlier, making them drop dead and assist Gerik in a normal speed due to Speedster requiring charge up before she can use it again._

* * *

_Meanwhile, both Marisa and Ross were confronting a Warrior wielding his gigantic axe as he slammed it onto the ground, missing his targets. Despite having a big physical body, he can move around in a fast manner but not as agile as Marisa as she got into a stance before dashing forward once again. The warrior's attention shifted onto Ross as he swung his axes onto the warrior, forcing him to go on the defense with his large axe while Marisa took this chance to lay a slash onto his arm and leg, cutting away his main veins on his arm and leg. This caused the warrior to be paralyzed temporarily before she got into a stance one more time and this time, five different mirages of herself were creating some sort of a dance with her blade before five slashes landed onto the warrior. After the attack connected, she landed a few meters away from the warrior's back as Ross delivered the finishing blow onto him with a double cut on the warrior's chest, thus he tumbled down like a log. Marisa stood up and looked at the defeated enemy._

_"Not good enough…" she commented on him._

_"He sure isn't good enough, alright…" Ross supported._

_"You ain't called the Crimson Flash for nothing, y'know?" Gerik called out._

_"Really? That's so cool!' Ross said happily as Marisa was a bit flustered from Gerik's comment._

_"Anyways, there are still enemies to cut down… let's go…" Marisa said neutrally as she ran towards the direction where the rest of the mercenaries are at._

_"Coming~!" Glaive chirped up before she followed suit, leaving both Gerik and Ross behind._

_"Wow, those two sure are active in hunting down some enemies…" Ross commented._

_"Yep, but they're right. Those guys can't chop themselves up… let's go assist them…" Gerik told him before both men followed suit._

* * *

_Meanwhile, while Colm easily dodged one of the mage's lightning blast, and Neimi heading towards Colm to assist him, Larc took out her Common Blank and roused it onto her Rouzer._

**TRIAL… A**

_Her whole armor glows radiantly and when it dimmed down, she wasted no time flutter high to the sky with her butterfly wings on her back. "See how you like this!" She said while rousing two cards._

**SCOPE**

**MIGHTY**

_Taking her aim, she locked onto the mages behind the one that tried to attack Colm, before she declared her move. "Rider… Snipe Shot!" Pulling down her trigger, she unleashed a few shots onto the mages and all of them were hit onto their body, leaving with holes on them as Neimi continued to gallop forward with her sword in hand to take out the surviving mages._

_The mage that was focusing on Colm earlier looked at his back and noticed all of his comrades were dead and when he shifted back to the front, Colm was nowhere to be seen… until he felt a cut on his throat and he immediately held it tight while dropping his tome. In the end, there is nothing more he could do but drop down and lay there motionless as Colm puts back his dual daggers on its slot, satisfied with his work._

_"Next time, better not lose your focus…" Colm added._

**TRIAL… B**

_Storm's whole armor glowed radiantly and when it dimmed down, he was big, buff, and ready to go. "Time to ram your mercenaries down!" Storm said as he roused another card._

**MIGHTY**

_The hologram of his Mighty entered into his bracers instead of his Rouzer as he puts it on his back and clenched his fist tightly onto the mercenaries that guarded Pablo from Lance. As Garcia stepped forward, Pablo casted a Purge spell onto Lance and he laughed at him._

_"Hah! Is that all you can d–" Pablo couldn't finish his words as he noticed Lance was perfectly fine, drilling his opponent with his big arms and each punch the enemy took, the ice on it spread onto their body, consuming them and turned them into an ice statue before Garcia destroyed them with a cleave of his axe, much to Pablo's surprise._

_"Surprise!" Lance said to him after punching another one away from him as he walked towards Pablo with no distractions this time._

_"Oh no… not again!" Pablo stammered as he made a run of his life, trying his best to retreat from being killed once again._

**End BGM**

* * *

_"You're not getting away!" Lance said as he ran towards him and blocked his way, making Pablo scared. _

_"P–Please, don't kill me!" Pablo begged._

_"Oh, I won't." Lance said while pointing behind Pablo. "I'll have him do it." As soon as Pablo turned around to where Storm was pointing at…_

_*SHANK!*_

_Pablo looked in shock as a sword was buried deep in his stomach, courtesy of Gerik. "That's for trying to hurt my employee." Gerik muttered before yanking out his sword rather hard._

_"N–No…" Pablo coughed, while blood came out of his mouth. "Argh… It can't be… I…You can't have any gold… It's all… mine."_

_*SLASH!*_

_Pablo's neck was cut and his head fell from his body, courtesy of Marisa before the body itself fell to the ground. "Shut up…" She scoffed._

_"Well, takes care of this mess…" Glaive chirped up. The effect of Mighty Impact on Lance's bracers worn off as he noticed Larc standing far away from Pablo's corpse as due to her hemophobia is acting up once again. When he approached to her, she looked at him as the rider's form cancelled out, returning them to their civilian form._

_"Is it over?" Amber asked._

_"Yeah… let's go meet Kurogasa and the rest…" Storm told her as she embraced him tightly due to her fear and the rest followed suit to their destination._

_"Wow, this guy sure has a lot of gold around him, even though the bag is tainted with blood…" Colm said happily while taking a few bags of gold from Pablo. He noticed Mikoto was near him and was about to take some as well. "Hey, that's my gold! Hands off!"_

* * *

**ABSORB QUEEN**

**FUSION JACK**

With the Eagle Plague on my Rouze Absorber, I was in my Jack Form. I know you were thinking, I'm supposed to fend off against some of large knights of some sort, right? WRONG! And you wanna know why?

"Blade, for your sins of killing our brethren, you shall pay with your blood!" the Caucasus Undead declared. Yeah, that's the reason. Apparently, while in the middle of the battle, this Undead tackled me towards one corner of the forest. The same thing happened to the other Main Riders, which they were separated from the group to face our enemy just before we can regroup once again… "I have waited for this day… to kill you and release my brethren from your seal… and rule this world with an iron fist!"

"Sorry, ain't gonna happen!" I snapped while I roused more cards.

**KICK**

**THUNDER**

The holograms of the Kick Locust and Thunder Deer entered my armor.

**LIGHTNING BLAST**

I leaped high to the sky, trying to deliver a kick onto him, but he defended with his buckler and landed a slash onto my armor, creating sparks before I ended up landing on the ground, wincing in pain. "Doushita, Blade? Don't tell me that was all you got?" It mocked.

Well _that_ didn't work.

"Kurogasa!" Two voices cried. What the… Eirika and Tana?!

"You two?! What are you _doing_ here?!" I asked both of them.

"Oh, more for me to play? This is getting interesting…" The Caucasus Undead said, somehow being interested about it.

"Can't you see?! We're here to protect you from this creep!" Tana said as she and her Pegasus stood right in between me and Caucasus' path.

"Are you okay?" Eirika asked concerned as she checked up on me.

"I'm fine, but this Undead is really strong, I can't afford you two to get hurt!"

"Hey, don't worry! With Eirika and I working together, there's no _way_ this thing could beat us!" Tana assured me.

"No, wait! You don't understand! This Undead is at a different level!" I tried to warn, but both of them were already gone ahead as both Tana and Eirika held their weapons in hand and the Undead was waiting for them to come to him with patience. When they were within range, he simply clapped his hand, causing a barrier to form in front of them while the two tried to stab him with their respective weapons but the only thing they can hit was a barrier, much to their surprise.

"What?!" both of them shouted in unison as the Caucasus Undead swings his sword around, causing Eirika to take a leap back while Tana parrying the swing, causing her to be off from her Pegasus.

"Now, the _real_ fun starts…" the Caucasus Undead declared as it attacked Eirika with his sword. As Eirika continued to dodge from his swings, Eirika managed to counter back with one of her own, but being blocked by its buckler. Tana slowly pushed herself up and grabbed her lance before dashing towards the back of the Caucasus Undead. She stabs her lance right on its spine, causing the Undead to wince in pain, but it suddenly grabbed Tana by the neck and slowly lifted her up as she tried to free herself from its grip.

"Tana!" Eirika cried out as she tried to rescue her friend but in the end, she _also_ got grabbed on the neck by the Undead as her rapier dropped on the ground, struggling to free herself from its grip.

"Hey, let them go!" I shouted as I ran towards it with the Rouzer in hand. When I tried to deliver a slash, it used Eirika to defend himself, causing me to stop my attack before it gave me a knee strike and a front kick, causing me to tumble back in pain.

"It seems like these two are just an obstacle to get from what I want…" the Caucasus Undead scoffed before he delivered both of the girls a hard choke slam onto the ground, knocking the girls out cold before throwing them away in the opposite direction. While Tana ended up landing next to a tree, Eirika on the other hand ended up splashing onto the lake nearby, as for now, her whole body floats on the water and the only thing I can hear from the Undead was laughter of satisfaction.

"It's just you and me now, Blade… shall we continue? And you better do it fast, because in just a few moments, the blue haired girl will be drowned to death…" the Caucasus Undead laughed as if it would be his victory. At this point, I can feel my blood boiling for what he did to them earlier.

"Kono yarooooooo!" I yelled charging at him.

"Ha, ha, ha! Now _that's_ more like it!" the Caucasus Undead laughed happily as it took back its sword and both of us exchanged blows. In the midst of anger, I can't think of anything else but to keep attacking him for what it did to them as it was an unforgivable thing to do. I began to pick up the speed and I finally managed to land a slash on its body, which it countered back with a slash of its own. Both of us took a few steps back as the Undead was enjoying it. "That's right! More! More! Feed me more of your anger!"

"Grrrr…" I growled as I roused a card.

**FUSION**

The Fusion Eagle restored my AP and I roused three more cards.

**KICK**

**THUNDER**

**MACH**

The holograms of Kick Locust, Thunder Deer, and Mach Jaguar entered my armor.

**LIGHTNING SONIC**

Due to my anger, the electricity on my kicking foot was more intense as all of the sudden the world around me was now in slow motion. Stabbing my Rouzer on the ground, I immediately leaped high to the sky and delivered a Mach speed Rider Kick onto its chest, as it didn't react in time to clap its hand. In the end, the kick connects and the Undead flew a few meters away, exploding on the ground before laying down there motionless while covered in fire. At that point, I sealed up the Undead quickly and as soon as the card got in my hand, I canceled out my transformation and quickly went to the lake and got Eirika out of the water and onto dry land. "Eirika! Eirika!" I cried out, but no answer. No… she must've taken in water… I have to do… CPR… I blushed at the thought. I don't know if it's technically a kiss or not, but– Aaaaaah! This is ridiculous! Eirika's life is at risk while you're debating on whether or not CPR counts as a kiss!

Okay, calm down, Kurogasa… forget the kiss for now. Try to remember step by step… what's the first step? Oh yeah, loosen up her armor to give her some room to breathe in… I tried to find the knot around her armor somewhere. A couple seconds later, I found it and took it off of her, leaving her only in her red dress… with her revealing figure due to the water…

*SLAP!*

Man, I _really_ needed that self–slap to control myself… okay, after that I unbuttoned _only_ her top button and that's it… the next step is checking her pulse… why am I checking it again since she didn't respond to my shouting earlier? Never mind. Anyways, I needed to tilt her head upwards to let more air in and out easier. Now, comes the two hardest parts of them all… the first one was where I should place my palm? I still remember the grip but… I don't want to mistakenly do something stupid… with quick thinking I placed my hand right below her rib cage and gave a few pushes. After three to four pushes… it's the mouth–to–mouth resuscitation… no time to think! I pinched her nose and… I did… the mouth–to–mouth resuscitation while blushing. I just hope no one sees this or else, I'm dead meat…

She didn't seem to wake up on the first time, so a few more times should do the trick. In the end, after giving her one last mouth–to–mouth resuscitation, she gurgled out water from her mouth and coughed badly. I helped her out by rubbing her back to ease her pain.

"Eirika…" I said in relief. "Are you okay?"

After a few coughs, she replied to me in a sore pain in her throat, "Yes… I'm okay…"

"Thank goodness…"

It was then she noticed something about her, as her armor was off and only the top button of her dress was unbuttoned. She blushed madly and quickly turned away from me. "K–Kurogasa… y–you didn't do… a–anything silly… d–did you?"

I blushed madly at that. "N–N–No, of _c_–_course_ not! Y–You were drowning a–and I _had_ to give you C–CPR!" Man, I haven't stuttered _this_ bad before.

"C–CPR?" she blinked before looking back at me. "What's a CPR?" she asked. I didn't think she knew about the term at all… and I can understand that.

"I–It's an acronym for Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation." I explained.

She was still confused by the term and I gotta admit, her confused look while her hair was still wet is kind of cute… wait a minute, is it just me or are we forgetting someone?

It was then Eirika realized someone else shared the same fate as her as she looked in front of her. "Tana!" And just like that, she ran to her and checked up on her condition. While she checks on her friend, I subconsciously placed my finger and traced it on my lips to remember the CPR I did to her… her lips were really soft, just like when she kissed my cheek a couple of times. I don't know whether it was technically a kiss or not… _is_ it?

* * *

**ABSORB QUEEN**

**FUSION JACK**

_With the transformation into Jack Form complete, Garren wasted no time pulling the trigger like there's no tomorrow and every single shot was blocked by the Giraffa Undead before he dodged one of the incoming attacks from one of its swings from the Undead by flying to the sky. "Come now, Garren… don't be a wuss and face me like a _real_ man…" the Undead taunted him._

_"Fine! If that's the way you want it, then I might as well do _this_!" Garren said as he fanned out his Rouzer and took out a card from it; rousing it from his Rouzer._

**GEMINI**

_With that, a hologram of Gemini Zebra appeared before it passed through him, creating a doppelganger of himself and both of them descended with their gun–blade in hand, slashing and shooting the Giraffa Undead at the same time. Though it seemed like it was quite overwhelming at first, it eventually managed to keep up with both of the attacks and returned the favor giving out a double slash onto both Garrens, causing him to tumble down before his doppelganger disappeared, leaving only the original one on the ground._

_"Come now… you have to do better than that…" the Giraffa Undead taunted._

**MIGHTY**

_"Hm?" the Giraffa Undead turned around and noticed Glaive gave a slash of her own, forcing it to go back as sparks were made._

_"Akira–kun! Are you okay?!" Glaive asked him concerned._

_"Glaive? How did you find me?" Garren asked her._

_"Gilliam told me you're here, that's how!" Glaive told him as she helped him up. "Don't you know I'm worried for you?!"_

_"You… were?" Garren asked blinking behind his mask._

_"Of _course_ I am!" she claimed before she dodged one of the swings from the Giraffa Undead as Garren lashed out a few shots on it, causing it to stumble back a few times. "It's because I _care_ for you!" she declared, which Garren blushed at while under his mask and Giraffa Undead overheard the conversation confused and surprised._

_"What?" the Giraffa Undead said confused._

_"M–Mikoto…" Garren got out._

_"I–I'll explain later! Let's beat the crap out of this Undead first!" Glaive stuttered before Garren nodded and both of them faced the Undead together._

_"Hah! This should be easy! With only one of you having the upgrade, I shouldn't worry _too_ much about that!" the Giraffa Undead boasted._

_"That's where you're wrong!" Glaive shouted as she roused a card._

**TRIAL… C**

_"Nani? A Common monster for a new form?!" Giraffa Undead stammered as Glaive in her Trial Form prepared her stance and with an incredible speed in her disposal, she went out in a blur, giving off damage with her sparking Rouzer and as she stopped, sparks were shown on the Undead, weakened in an instant._

_"Akira–kun! Now's a good time!" Glaive told him._

_"Right!" Garren said as he roused the cards._

**DROP**

**FIRE**

_The holograms of Drop Whale and Fire entered his armor._

**BURNING SMASH**

_Garren leaped up high with the assistance of his Jack Form. Glaive also joined in as she ran towards the Giraffa Undead, preparing its defense. As she delivered her side kick onto the Undead, it managed to parry the kick but not from Garren as he landed perfectly on its head, causing a huge explosion and when it has been done, the Undead continued to burn as it lied there motionlessly._

_"Yatta~! We did it!" Glaive chirped up._

_"We sure did!" Garren cheered as he took out a Proper Blank and sealed the Undead before catching the card in his hand. The two then canceled out their transformation._

_As both of them decided to walk back together to the group, along the way, things were pretty much in silence at first until Mikoto broke it. "A–Ano ne… Akira–kun…"_

_"Yes?" Akira replied._

_"I–I've been thinking a lot lately…" she began._

_"Oh? What's on your mind, Mikoto–chan?" he asked her as Mikoto's face had a slight blush._

_"It's about… the kiss we had… the other day…" she told him. Now it was Akira's turn to blush. "Ever since that day, it's been bothering me… I can't sleep well; I can't face you very well after that day… I talked to Melissa–sempai about this back at Caer Pelyn with Grandmother at the kitchen…"_

_"Y–You did?" Akira stuttered as Mikoto came to a halt, causing Akira to stop in his tracks and looked at her for a moment. "Mikoto–chan?"_

_"Akira–kun… I understand what Melissa–sempai told me about…" she muttered to herself as she towards him and both of their lips met together, causing Akira to be surprised and Mikoto's not going to break the kiss anytime soon. In the end, the only thing Akira can do is wrap his arms around her and replied back with one of his own. After a while, they pulled apart._

_"M–Mikoto…" Akira said still blushing._

_"I love you, Akira–kun…" Mikoto said still blushing as well._

_Akira mustered up all of his courage before he came to same conclusion about the girl he had a crush on. "I love you too…" Akira said and the two kissed again._

* * *

_Meanwhile, both the Paradoxa Undead and Chalice clash their weapons in the midst of battle as he tried to slash down his Arrow on it, only to have it sidestep before it gave a scratch attack on him, which forced Chalice to take a few steps back from his current position. "It seems like you're a worthy opponent of mine to face… Chalice." the Paradoxa Undead told him._

_"And you are just an eyesore…" Chalice muttered before he roused some cards._

**FLOAT**

**DRILL**

**TORNADO**

_Getting into a stance, all three holograms of Float Dragonfly, Drill Shell and Tornado Hawk enters into its armor, getting prepared into the stance called…_

**SPINNING DANCE**

_Paradoxa Undead also charged up for an attack as Chalice spun around in a quick manner while Paradoxa leaped high to the sky. "Round and round I go, where do I hit? Only _I _know!" Chalice rhymed before both kicks from the Rider and Undead connected at the middle and so far, both of them were evenly matched._

_"Tell me, Rider! What makes you think your attack can defeat mine?!" the Undead hissed at him._

_"I don't think… I _know_…" Chalice muttered._

_"What?"_

_"I got someone waiting for me to help her out…" Chalice muttered to himself while thinking of a certain someone he had in mind. "Sure, she may tend to crush my toe from time to time due to my foul language, but at least she does so because she cares for me and that's all that matters… she is inexperienced in fighting, but on the bright side, her smile is all it takes for her to mend my bad days. Things aren't going as smooth at first, but I realized… if she hadn't come into my life, I might be still be referred as a fighter with a loose mouth…" Chalice imagined a flower field and a lone figure standing right at the middle of it, while looking at the vast area and as she turned around, it was Melissa with her kind smile on her face before he returned back to reality. "That's why… you're just an eyesore and need to be DESTROYED!" Chalice declared before his sudden boost of wind appeared around him and much to the Undead's surprise, the attack broke through and Chalice landed on one knee while the Undead dropped dead on the ground, lying there motionless._

_"How…?" the Paradoxa Undead muttered._

_Chalice walked towards it and dropped a Proper Blank, sealing it inside the card before the card returned back to his hand. "I guess… it's the power of love…" Chalice muttered out._

* * *

_Leangle, in her Jack Form, fended off the claws of the Tarantula Undead with her bracers before trying to deliver a punch onto its body but missed by a mile. It countered back with a strong slash onto her before she stumbled back a few times. When Leangle slowly stood up, she noticed something about the Tarantula Undead as she began to speak to it. "I noticed that your attack isn't at full force, much like other Undead I've faced before…"_

_The Tarantula Undead, being the wisest among the Undead, lowers his guard down as it began to reply to her answer. "I am simply defending myself from being attack. That is all I know…" the Tarantula Undead told her._

_Just like that, she canceled her transformation, knowing the Tarantula isn't a threat anymore. "I see… I'm sorry to attack you then…" she kindly said as she bowed, making it have a smile on its face._

_"It's alright… I have always loved humanity." the Tarantula Undead told her. "Ever since coming to this world, I have always thought of protecting them with my life, even if it means defeating my own clan… but when they saw me in this true form, fear and hatred started to loom over their hearts, forcing me to get out from the village that I once protected, but I couldn't blame them for who I am. In the end, I accepted for who I am, but I will _never_ attack a fellow human being, even if they are attacking me. Even so, I have always wanted to speak to a fellow human with such pure tone and kindness for a long time, and you have granted me that wish, dear Sister…"_

_"Not _all_ Undead are as mean as I thought it would be. It may be the lack of my experience in this field…" Melissa pondered._

_"Have no fear, not all humans are perfect, and I can understand based on your actions." the Tarantula Undead said as it looked afar. "The Demon King shall rise once again and I don't have the strength to protect everyone around the world. Should there be no more protectors on this world, it will meet its doom and it shall be forever in darkness…" the Tarantula Undead said concerned._

"_I know… that is what my friends and I are fighting for; to be sure it shall not be revived once again and saved humanity from harm." Melissa assured it, determined, causing it to look at her and finally it gave a nod of agreement._

_"Yes… and I trust you and the Riders with my life…" the Undead told her as he opened his arms in a peaceful way. "I will lend you my power to defeat evil… if I can have a hug from you, is it okay…?"_

_Melissa was a bit scared at first but her kind nature took over as she stepped forward and gave it a hug, knowing the Undead wouldn't do harm on her. "Of course."_

_The hug lasted for a while before the two broke off. Melissa took a Proper Blank and the Tarantula Undead touched the tip of the card, starting the sealing process. "I leave the rest to you, Leangle… and thank you for believing in me…" the Tarantula Undead said before it was completely sealed up and Melissa looked at the card with a smile on her face._

_"Do not worry. I shall fulfill our promise…" Melissa assured her before she walked back towards the main group. She noticed Natasha and Joshua running towards her direction._

_"Melissa, are you alright?" Natasha asked worried over her friend as Melissa waved it off._

_"Yes, I am fine. And I have sealed an Undead by myself… but not through fighting…" Melissa told them, as both of them didn't understand what she was saying._

_"What do you mean?" Joshua asked._

_"Sometimes__…_ there are dreams that need to be fulfilled…" Melissa said before heading back to the main group with a smile on her face. Natasha and Joshua followed suit behind her.

* * *

Soon all four of us Main Riders and Missing Ace Riders met up along with the entire troop. As we walked towards the group's direction, they noticed both Eirika and I dripping wet while Tana was wincing in pain riding on her Pegasus. The only thing, the three of us have in common were that we're covered in bruises, courtesy of the Caucasus Undead.

"My word, what _happened_ to you guys?" L'Arachel asked.

"And why the two of you are dripping wet?" Forde raised his eyebrow.

"Well…" I got out blushing. "The Undead I fought threw Eirika to the water after it knocked out her cold, and after I sealed the Undead, I got her out of there." Amber noticed that I was blushing and as usual, whenever she saw the opportunity, she always puts a cheeky smile on her face…

"But at least everyone defeated the four Kings, am I correct?" Seth asked us as us Main Riders showed him all of the Category Kings.

"And what of the situation after we've been kicked out due to the Undead?" I asked him.

"We already wiped out Pablo's forces with our blades…" Gerik informed us.

"And not to mention taking away _all_ of his gold on him!" Colm said excited.

"And what about the one who currently we have to face?' Storm asked us.

"We've managed to take down the front line of that guy, Aias. All is left is his last line of defense and he'll be a sitting duck." Cormag told us, but the Missing Ace's group didn't recognize him.

"Say, who's the guy in blue?" Ross asked.

"This is Cormag, my little brother." Glen answered.

"Little brother?" Ross blinked a few times as Cormag stepped forward and introduced himself.

"I am Cormag, one of the Wyvern Riders of Grado on a mission; to kill that Valter for tricking me about my brother's death." Cormag said determined.

"Well, welcome to the group, I guess…" Garcia shrugged.

"Since we've taken care of the mess at the back, let's wrap this battle up and head towards Jehanna!" Kyle informed as the rest of the group followed suit, but I noticed Joshua looking down for a bit, as if he's worried about something.

"What's wrong Joshua?" I asked.

"Oh, it's nothin' really! Like I said, just having a bad past with that place, that's all…" Joshua assured me with his usual smile on his face.

Okay, I ain't buying his crap. Something's up. "Joshua, seriously, what's up? You've been acting weird lately. Whatever it is, I can keep a secret."

"Look, I'm fine… c'mon! Let's take them down for now!"

"Joshua, wait!" I called out trying to stop him but he quickly hastened his pace towards the battlefield and I noticed Natasha waiting for him, looking at him with concern.

"What has been bothering him lately? Do you know of it, Kurogasa?" she asked me as I approached her.

"I don't know. I feel like there's more to him than meets the eye." I frowned. "Maybe _you_ can try talking to him about it. He's comfortable around you right?"

"Yes, he is…" she said with a slight blush. "I'll try, but I can't promise you anything, Kurogasa… eventually, he will tell us why he's been depressed lately…" She said before she shifted her attention on the battlefield. "Come now, we should get moving as well…"

"Right…" I said then followed.

* * *

"This is impossible!" Aias gasped. "My battle formations and strategies are impregnable and flawless!"

"Sir! We're losing our soldiers! Most of the men hiding at the abandoned fortress that has been destroyed from afar!" one of the men explained to him before from out of nowhere, a huge arrow pierced through his stomach, killing the soldier in an instant.

"This isn't looking good!" Aias said worried. "Does what the rumors say is true? Is Princess Eirika _truly_ capable of defeating her opponent with only her rapier? But what about these Riders I kept hearing about? What _are_ they really?" Aias questioned himself before he noticed another giant arrow heading right at him. He raised his shield high enough to block it, making the arrow stuck on it before he ditched it away and told his soldier to get a new one. "Alright, men! Keep our defenses up! Be sure to not make them pass through the defense line!' Aias commanded.

"Yes, sire!" another soldier said as he ran towards any nearby saved fortress.

"It's not over yet. Victory still hangs in the balance. They key is defeating the enemy commander, but…" Aias muttered before–

"Henshin!"

**TURN/OPEN UP**

**CHANGE**

Aias heard our shouting as four main holograms appeared right in front of us, as us Main Riders are now donned in our armor, while the Missing Aces help out the rest wiping off the soldiers at the nearby fortress. Even Princess Eirika was with us as well while riding on her horse, now half dry.

"Ah… So here you are. _The_ Princess Eirika." Aias said impressed about Eirika's appearance.

"What?" Eirika asked confused.

"You're not at all what I had expected…" he muttered to himself as he had to fight off against a young girl before noticing the four Riders in front of him, next to Eirika. "And the four of you are the rumored 'Riders', correct?"

"That's _us_ alright. If you want to surrender, then by all means do so. In fact, we'd prefer you do that." I suggested.

All of sudden, another soldier ran towards him with an utmost importance of a message. "Sir, we have trouble!"

"Speak, soldier…"

"The Rausten soldiers are here!" the soldier exclaimed as Aias panicked.

"Rausten knights?! That means Caellach's–" Aias seemed to figure it out; about Caellach and his motives as he gritted his teeth. He had no other choice but to do the one thing he knew, even though it would be a move that he regrets. "Curses… All troops! Retreat at once!" And with that, he turned his horse around and made a run for it. During his panic, he dropped something on the ground and I picked it up from where he stood before…

"A Knight Crest…" I muttered out.

"Hmph… he's getting away. What an eyesore…" Chalice muttered.

"But at least he did a good thing by valuing his life…" Garren pointed out.

"Consider this our victory then…" Leangle said happily.

"But… how did L'Arachel know they were coming in the first place?" Eirika asked which got me thinking as well… how _did _she know.

* * *

_"Rausten Knights?! No… All troops! Retreat at once!" most of the soldiers panicked as they fell back from the fortress and ran away._

_"What's_ this_ all of the sudden?" Gerik asked._

_"It seems like they are retreating…" Tethys pointed out._

_"Does this mean we won this battle?!" Ewan asked excited._

_"That's right, lad. We won this battle for now…" Gilliam assured him as Franz pondered about something._

_"But… how did Rausten know about the danger we're facing?" Larc asked._

_"Beats me…" Lance shrugged._

_"For now, regrouping is the only option left…" Lute told them before they all nodded and headed back to the main group until Saleh noticed something._

_"Where are the troubadour and her berserker?" he asked, referring to L'Arachel and Dolza._

_"Come to think of it… where_ are_ they?" Tana asked._

* * *

As we walked towards where L'Arachel and Dolza were at, Eirika spoke to her. "L'Arachel, just as you said, the reinforcements have arrived in Jehanna."

"What I'd like to know is what _took_ them so long!" L'Arachel said annoyed before she let out a sigh of relief. "However, it seems that all has worked out in the end."

One of the Rausten knight commanders approached us. He stopped his horse and dismounted before kneeling on one knee to L'Arachel? "Princess! Knights of Rausten, second battalion, reporting for duty!"

"Well done, you may lift your eyes."

"EXCUSE ME?! PRINCESS?!" I shouted really loud. Heck, it was loud enough to produce an echo within the whole Canyon! L'Arachel is a Princess and she didn't even bother to _tell_ us?! L'Arachel was surprised by my claim earlier and even the _rest_ of the riders were surprised.

"Princess? L'Arachel, you're a–" Eirika got out trying to find suitable words, only to have L'Arachel wave it off.

"What? Oh, you mean…" she noticed the predicament as she tried shoo the soldier away, which he didn't budge one bit, much to her dismay. "Don't be silly! This is _nothing_. Please don't concern yourself!" she said with a sweat drop.

"I do believe, milady, that your disguise has been penetrated." Dolza informed her.

"Oh my… I didn't know we had another princess traveling with us…" Melissa–sempai said a little surprised.

"Yeah, me neither…" both Amber and Mikoto said in unison.

"No wonder Rennac kept complaining about you…" Kurai muttered.

"Really, big bro?" Akira asked him, which Kurai nodded.

"She's a princess?" Storm, as I stated before, picked up the data at the last minute due to him being an airhead…

"Alright, _Princess_ L'Arachel… time for you to fess up. Who _are_ you actually?" I demanded.

"Oh alright… I might as well confess." L'Arachel sighed in defeat. "The beauteous wander who's been Eirika's boon companion, is none other than… the jewel of the theocracy of Rausten, Princess L'Arachel herself!" She declared, "I was acting under divine order to strike down evil in this land."

Rausten knight coughed in his hand. "Actually…" He began. "The truth is… while that much is true, the reason why, was that the princess was enflamed by the words of the court troubadour, Saaga… She forced us to allow her to journey forth on a quest for justice."

"Wow… no _wonder_ Rennac ran away from you. You're so _self–centered_ for someone who's on a quest for justice." Kurai said.

"I AM _NOT_ SELF–CENTERED!" L'Arachel shrieked.

"I say otherwise." Kurai deadpanned with a sweat drop. L'Arachel was so flustered on Kurai's words earlier, she did the only thing she wanted to do on him…

*THWACK!*

"Ow!" Kurai cringed in pain while holding his head. "What was _that_ for, woman?!"

*STOMP!*

"Yeouch!" Kurai felt the pain as he hopped around holding his foot. His toe faced Melissa–sempai's wrath from her staff once again. "What was _that_ for?!"

"That's for using such harsh language on a princess like her…" Melissa–sempai replied with her smile, causing him to shudder from it as L'Arachel was satisfied with a slight giggle of her own.

"That explains the whole thing…" Innes pointed out before the soldier remembered something.

"Princess. This is from King Mansel." the soldier handed to her a bag of gold as she picked it from him and checked the contents of it.

"What's this? War funds?" L'Arachel said, delighted. "Oh, what a grand uncle. He's just so thoughtful." She then turned to Eirika. "Princess Eirika of Renais, Rausten will not yield to Grado. Together, let us defeat the empire in the name of righteousness!"

"Um… right." Eirika got out.

"But before that, we need rest." I said.

Late at night, after burning the bodies and whatnot, we settled for camping outside in the canyon instead of inside an old abandoned fortress. Why? Well, for one thing the sky is clear of clouds and stars are pretty. Tana and Amber did the cooking and it was delish. "Ha, ha! I _knew_ you'd like it!" Tana chirped as Amber was also impressed about it. Both of them gave each other a high five.

"Yeah, with both of _our_ cooking skills being put to the test, I think both of us would be a good team!' Amber noted as everyone enjoyed it.

"Wow!" L'Arachel said amazed after taking a bite on her dinner. "This meal… it's truly delicious! It cannot be compared to the dishes we had in Rausten!" she commented. "Why didn't I join with you all, early in the _first_ place?!"

"That's because you're too busy playing hero on your quest for justice…" Kurai teased.

I noticed Eirika walking towards Melissa–sempai as she asked her something. "Melissa, if it doesn't bother you, may I speak to you privately?"

"Oh?" Melissa–sempai blinked before she smiled, putting down her finished plate and followed Eirika towards the back of the fortress.

"I wonder what's wrong with big sis; up to the point of having a private talk with Sempai." Akira said concerned as Mikoto sat next to him.

"I dunno…" Mikoto then looked at me with her straight face.

"What?" I asked.

"I dunno… whenever Eirika seems to have some problems, usually it _does_ involve you, right?" Mikoto pointed out.

"What makes you say _that_?" I asked again.

"I dunno… maybe Amber–neesan's influence is rubbing off on me…" Mikoto said while scratching her head, leaving Akira to have a sweat drop of his own.

Oh boy…

* * *

_"What seems to be the problem Eirika?" Melissa asked._

_"Um, I was wondering about something… what is CPR?" Eirika asked her, which left Melissa having a surprised look on her face._

_"Why are you asking this?"_

_"Because I need to know more about it… I can't seem to understand what it truly means, even with Kurogasa telling me about it…" Eirika told her._

_"Is that the reason? My, I guess I can explain it to you then…" Melissa said kindly. She began to tell her step by step, as Eirika seemed to recall about the reason why she's not in her armor and her top button, unbuttoned. She was understanding it… until the very last part of the process._

_"M–Mouth–to–mouth assistance?" Eirika stuttered as she had a blush on her face._

_"Yes, in other words, the one that helps you will provide air support from one person to another that was unconscious by their mouths…"" she told her, causing Eirika to have a brighter blush on her face._

_"T–Then, what would happen if it didn't work?"_

_"They'll repeat the steps again until the person is fully conscious…" Melissa informed her as Eirika was speechless. "Is there anything else you want to ask, Eirika?"_

_"N–No… that would be all…" Eirika stammered as Melissa noticed her expression changed for a bit. She began to wonder, did Kurogasa actually kiss her multiple times, just to wake her up from her drowning earlier? The more she thought about it, the more painful she felt in her heart as she ended up kneeling down while placing her hand on her chest tightly. In the end, Melissa knew one thing she can do… she hugged the trembling princess, much to Eirika's surprise. "E–Eh?"_

_"It's getting more painful in your chest, isn't it?" Melissa comforted her, which Eirika nodded in agreement. "Don't worry… I'll be here to ease the pain for you…" she cooed while gently combing her hair as Eirika got teary and planted her face onto Melissa's chest, crying._

_"It hurts, Melissa… it really hurts…" Eirika cried as tears continued to flow from her eyes._

_"I know, dear… I know…"_

* * *

_Meanwhile, Caellach noticed Aias heading towards his direction. Smiling, he greeted the wounded soldier with his smirk on his face. "Hey, Aias."_

_"Hey there Caellach."_

_"That was something awful." Caellach commented. "I never expected to see you get beaten so roundly."_

_"Yes. It was a complete failure." Aias commented back as he reviewed from the last battle. "The Rausten knights arrived far more quickly then I'd anticipated." he then glared at Caellach. "But it doesn't matter, does it? Whether I won or lost? You were planning on abandoning me from the start, weren't you?"_

_Caellach snickered at Aias's comment. "…Yeah, sorry. I'm not going to let things end for me here. I want to rise… to climb higher and higher. I will not be chained to my past. I will not be chained to you." Caellach explained as he draws out his axe, aiming at the prepared Aias with his axe before he muttered out something to him. "I truly apologize, but you die here. Goodbye, my friend." With those last words, Caellach immediately pounced at Aias in an incredible speed. Despite riding on his horse, he tried to swing his axe onto Caellach, but–_

_*SHANK!*_

_"Gwah!" Aias shrieked out as he noticed that Caellach's axe cleaved his body in half horizontally before he dropped down onto the ground. A fountain of blood flowed out from him, thus ending his life._

_Caellach placed his axe onto his back, looking at the direction of the Jehanna Castle. "Oh well, time for plan B…"_

* * *

And there we have it! Another chapter down! Now they got _all _the cards! Except for Joker obviously. But man, I'm past 15,000 word mark! WOW! My word count keeps on growing each chapter! Well, anyways, hope you enjoyed the chapter and as always, review!

**Spades:** A, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, J, Q, **K**  
**Diamonds:** A, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, J, Q, **K**  
**Hearts:** A, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, J, Q, **K**  
**Clubs:** A, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, J, Q, **K**  
**Trial:** A, B, C


	17. Chapter 14: Queen of the White Dunes

Hey, hey, hey! It's that time again! For another chapter of Kamen Rider Blade: The Sacred Stones! Hope you guys enjoy it!

Disclaimer: Same thing.

* * *

Chapter 14: Queen of the White Dunes

Dang it, I can't sleep! For some reason, I just can't! Ever since Eirika went to Melissa–sempai to talk in private and her coming back not talking after, it's been bugging me. That and Mikoto saying that somehow it involves me makes it worse. I feel like I did something wrong. That's it. I need to find Eirika now. I walked out from my tent making sure I didn't step on Storm or fall over Akira before heading out to the camp and noticed the night was still young. When I wanted to head out towards Eirika's camp, I noticed Joshua waiting at the bonfire, still looking at it with his usual smile on his face. He then looked at my direction and smiled at me. "Oh? Can't sleep?"

"Yeah… what are _you_ doing here?" I asked him.

"Don't you remember? I've been put on patrol for tonight, along with Gerik, Kyle and Dolza…" he told me. "Why are _you_ awake?"

"I'm trying to find Eirika. Do you know where she is?" I asked.

"Where else could she be? Sleeping at her camp, of course! But…, I noticed Eirika wanted Melissa to accompany her to sleep for some reason…" Joshua pondered before looking back at me. "Whatever plans you have with her, better do it tomorrow…"

"Sorry, but I need to take care of it now." I insisted, and with that I left without another word.

I headed towards Eirika's camp but when I got there, she was not there. The only ones in the camp were Tana, L'Arachel, and Melissa–sempai, the former two sleeping away and Melissa–sempai still up. She's probably doing prayers or something. It was then she noticed me. "Kurogasa, what are you doing still up?" She asked me.

"Gomen ne, sempai, but do you know where Eirika is?" I asked.

"I don't know, dear… when I woke up, Eirika wasn't in my arms anymore… I was worried for her, so I did a little prayer to make sure she's alright…" she said concerned tone.

"Oh man…" I groaned. This was bad… really bad. "Arigatou, sempai, I'll go look for her." And with that I took off.

* * *

For a while, I've been searching the canyon area, not too far from the camp trying to find Eirika and after a while I managed to find her sitting by herself on top of a flat rock while looking at the stars and full moon, "Eirika!" I called out to her.

She heard my call to her as she looked back and noticed me approaching her but for some reason she immediately turned around and looked a little bit down. "K–Kurogasa… w–what brings you here?" she suddenly stuttered.

"I've been trying to look for _you_!" I said worried. "I was worried sick!" Man, I've never been _this_ worried before.

"Kurogasa…" Eirika said softly until she remembered something, causing her to place her palm on her chest and gripped it tightly, as she avoided my gaze in an instant.

"By the way, why are you _here_? Even Melissa–_sempai_ was worried about you." I tried to ask her.

"I was just… thinking about something…" she told me.

"About what exactly," I asked.

"About Lyon," she answered. "I couldn't help but recall about my past…"

* * *

**Flashback – 2 years ago**

_In the courtyard, both Eirika and Lyon were practicing their fencing skills but Eirika got the best of him, which led him to his defeat. "…I yield. The point is yours, Eirika." Lyon said to her as she took a breather. "You're swift, aren't you? Compared to you, I'm– I've been bested at fencing by a woman. Pitiful crown prince; am I not?" he said while looking down with a sad smile on his face._

_"That's not true…" Eirika said, shaking her head._

_"Oh, no, Eirika," He replied sadly. "It is. The people need a strong ruler. They don't want a weakling like me. They want the strength you and Ephraim share. My body is frail. I prefer to spend my time locked away in the castle, reading… I think my father would be better served if someone _else_ took my place. I'm sure all of our retainers feel the same…"_

_"You're wrong, Lyon…" Eirika replied firmly, smiling. "An Emperor without compassion will _never_ hold the people's love. And one day your compassion will surely save us _all_. I believe that."_

_"Eirika… Thank you." Lyon replied, smiling slightly. "Yes. I… I will do my best. Even though I lack your strength, there must be some good I _can_ do."_

_"There is."_

_"By the way, Eirika… If it pleases you, would you accept this?"_

**End Flashback**

* * *

She pointed out the earrings that she wore on her ears. "These earrings that he gave me were something that I cherished for the friendship that we had… and now, I worried about him… what if Emperor Vigarde did something bad to his son?" she said lowly, afraid that something bad happened to her friend.

"Well, I can tell you it won't be a pretty picture." I said, but then shook my head. "But that's not why I'm here." I then got in front of Eirika kneeling down and placed my hands on her shoulders, surprising her a bit. "Eirika, what did I do wrong?"

"Huh?" Eirika asked confused.

"What did I do wrong to you?" I repeated, almost pleading. "You weren't talking to me after you talked with sempai, and when Mikoto told me that for some reason it somehow involves me, I start to get worried. I felt like I did something wrong to you. So, please tell me. What did I do wrong to you?"

"Kurogasa, it's not what you did wrong or something…" she tried correcting, while looking at me but for some reason, after that quick gaze both of us had, she quickly turned away. I–It's just that… I've been thinking about what Melissa told me…"

"About what," I blinked. I heard a gulp from her as she was having a hard time trying to tell me or anything.

"About the…" there was a gap of silence between us as the soft wind blew to our face. Eventually, she mustered up and finished her sentence "…CPR…" I got my own blush from what she just pointed out.

"Wait, that's _it_?" I asked incredulously. "Eirika, I did that to save your _life_. I _had_ to get the water out of your lungs _somehow_."

"I know that… but… when I heard about the last part from Melissa… she said if the first time doesn't work, the process repeats again… just thinking about it makes me think that we're… k–k–kissing…" Eirika got out as her blush became more obvious. "Just thinking about it makes my heart really hurt… it hurts so badly, I cried…"

"Oh Eirika…" I smiled sadly shaking my head before I pulled her in for a hug, surprising her a bit. "_That's_ what you were worried about? Relax. If you're worried about that counting as a kiss, then forget it. It doesn't count."

"R–Really?" she asked.

"I'm positive." I assured her as we broke our hug and managed to look at her eyes while wiping a tear from her face.

"I'm glad to hear that…" Eirika said with a sigh of relief. "I thought that you might have taken my first kiss… but I'm glad it was just a misunderstanding…" she told me.

"Yeah, me too," I agreed. "Just do me a favor, and don't scare me like that ever again…"

"I won't. I promise you that…" she giggled, which made me feel better seeing her happy self once again. "But…"

"Hm…?" What's on her mind _now_?

"I don't know how should I thank you for helping me during these hard times, but…" for some reason, she approached my face, holding my cheeks and her face was getting closer and closer until she whispered something to me. "…I hope _this_ would be good enough…" and before I knew it, she closed her eyes and kissed me… ON. MY. LIPS; I was so surprised from her sudden action I couldn't even move my muscles. It was pure and I can actually feel her soft lips pressing on mine, and she wasn't forcing herself at _all_; she was willingly doing this. After what seemed like forever, we eventually broke off and she had her beautiful smile on her face.

"Eirika…" I got out.

"I'll be giving my first kiss to you for your endless good deed…" she said with a slight blush before ran back towards the camp. "G–Good night!" she said as she ran off, leaving me dumbfounded from what just happened. I don't believe it… she kissed me… she kissed me! SHE KISSED ME! YATTAAAAAAAAAAA~!

* * *

The next day, I was all too happy.

"_Somebody's_ in a good mood today…" Kurai said looking at me with his usual annoyed glare.

"Yeah, big bro… I've never seen you _this_ happy before…" Akira added.

"Did you have a dream or something that _made_ you this happy?" Storm asked me.

"Oh, you could say that." I smiled.

"Hmph… what an eyesore…" Kurai scoffed before he walked outside the tent.

"I wonder if breakfast is ready." Akira said to himself before he walked out from the tent as well.

"Whatever happened in your dream that made you happy, I'm happy for you as well, buddy," Storm said with a smile as he also headed out from the camp.

"Hold up Storm, don't you wanna know?" I asked him.

"Well, it's up to you whether you want to tell me or not, but I can't help but be happy for my friend." he replied sincerely.

"Well, I'll tell ya anyways." I grinned. I motioned for him to come over, which he did and I whispered to him what happened last night. His eyes widened in surprise and gawked before looking at me.

"EHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH?! MASAKA! HONTOU NI?!"

"I'm taking your usual quote; 'I'm just stating the obvious…'" I said with a bright smile on my face.

"Wow, buddy! You've taken the first step of becoming a good guy! Sooner or later, you'll eventually have your own girlfriend; a _princess_, no less!" But then Storm remembered one thing. "But… what are you going to do about Tana?" Ooooooh, he's right about _that_. "You know, one wrong word and you might hurt her feelings…" he said concerned. When I put my thinking cap on, I was wondering, how am I supposed to tell her?

And before I knew it…"Kurogasaaaaa~~,"

Storm immediately leaned against the tent and without a doubt…

"OOF!" Tana pounced on me as usual…

"Well, I guess I better get a move on now…" Storm said before leaving me alone with Tana… wait, what?! He's leaving me behind?! How _could_ he! I thought friends should always stick together to help each other out, not leaving me behind!

"I heard from Kurai that you were happy for some reason! I wanna know why you're being too happy about it!" Tana said with her usual carefree smile on her face as she sat on top of me as I was on the ground, lying on my bed. "Maybe you've been thinking about my feelings or something." Dang it, Kurai… you just _had_ to tell Tana about it. "I _also_ had a good dream last night!" Tana said which made me look at her and raise my eyebrow. "In my dream, we were in a church and I wore the most beautiful wedding dress and next to me, there you were, in your nice prince–like clothing!" Tana said excited.

"Really," I asked her.

"Yeah, it was majestic! Everything went well until the last part. Just as we're about to kiss, because of the pain on my back since yesterday, I ended up waking up from that dream while groaning in pain! Mou~! It was so beautiful!" she complained childishly.

"Ehehehehehehehehe…" I chuckled sheepishly having a sweat drop. "Well, maybe I can help with neck pain of yours." At least hopefully, this will distract her.

"Nah, don't worry! I already found my remedy for that~" she replied to me. I didn't understand what she meant by that… until she bent down and… KISSED ME ON MY LIPS?! Darn it, of all times, why does she have to make things harder for me to decide?! And where's _Amber_ when you need to interfere this kind of situation?! After a while, we broke off from the kiss as she pushed herself up and had a smile on her face. "If this is a dream, we are finally husband and wife! And you know what the best part is?"

"What." I replied with a slight blush, while she shyly looked away.

"You had… my first kiss…" she confessed before she decided to run out of the tent, as I sat up bewildered from what just happened.

Dang it…

* * *

Great… this is just great… now Tana's getting serious about me. How am I supposed to get out of _this_ one? "Kurogasa," A voice asked behind. I turned around and, it was Natasha. "Is there something bothering you? Your face look like it has full of questions…"

"Oh, hi Natasha…" I greeted. "Um… yeah, I'm in… kind of a big predicament here."

"I see… is there something I can help out with?" she offered.

"No, it's okay…" I kindly declined.

"Oh, that reminds me, I've spoken to Joshua earlier today…" Natasha said. Oh yeah, I did ask for her help about Joshua's concerns since yesterday.

"What's been bothering him lately?" I asked her.

"I didn't get much, but the only reply he gave me was 'there is someone waiting for my return.' before we… had a good chat…" she said with a slight blush when thinking about him.

"I see… well, we're not gonna get much out of him anyways, so we'll just leave it be for now. Thanks Natasha." She nodded before both of us parted ways. The question remains… who is it that's waiting for him at Jehanna? Is that person really important to him, which makes him act this way? I'm going to find out sooner or later… While thinking on it, I heard some sort of a chat and when I looked to the source, it turns out that both Eirika and Tana are discussing about something.

"What is it that you called me, Tana?" she asked her friend.

"I feel I should apologize." Tana started, leaving Eirika confused. "I'm afraid I haven't been very much help to you, Eirika. To be honest, I'm still in training, and not quite battle–ready, hence the reason why I got easily beat up by the Undead yesterday. Perhaps you'd fare better if I were not traveling with you…" she said worried as Eirika held her hand to comfort her.

"Tana, that's not true at all." Eirika said kindly. "You've been a great help to us. I have seen you in action. I know what I'm talking about." she assured her, making Tana smiled back to her.

"Thank you, Eirika." she thanked her before she lets out a sigh. "Heh… I feel so foolish now."

"Why _is_ that?"

"I look on you as a sister, Eirika. And yet, even though we're the same age, you seem so much more mature." Tana praised her, as Eirika giggled.

"Hardly…"

"It is you and Kurogasa who even gave me the courage to leave the castle. I wanted to be out on my own, just like you, to pattern my life after yours. I'm simply glad that we are friends." Tana smiled.

"Me too, Tana," Eirika nodded. "I'm glad you came. You help to remind me of better times." she commented. Out of the boiling water and straight into the frying pan… my biggest concern is that my decision could affect their friendship and like Storm said, I have to decide for myself and any action I would make would hurt either side… it was then Tana noticed me while waving her hand happily.

"Kurogasa~!" she chirped up as Eirika had that smile on her face with a slight blush, while waving it gently.

I could only wave back smiling. In my mind though, _'SOMEONE GET ME OUT OF THIS MESS!'_

* * *

As the group finished packing the camp stuff, we heard a thunderous stomp of a horse. It was Seth and by judging from his face, it looks like bad news to us. "Princess Eirika. Prince Innes. I've received word that the palace of Jehanna was attacked by Grado forces and has surrendered!" he informed both of them and not to mention me. For some reason, Joshua, who was nearby, was also getting worried.

"What?! How did that…" Innes said shocked.

"And the queen? Is she safe?" Eirika asked.

"That remains unknown." Seth replied. "The palace has already been occupied by imperial troops and the Grado army is being led by Lyon, the Imperial Prince."

WHAT?!

"Lyon!" Eirika shouted out, a hand moving to clutch her chest.

"What is it, Eirika?" L'Arachel asked softly.

"It's nothing…" The princess replied, shaking her head sadly. "Lyon…"

Oh no… that's _definitely_ not good at all…

"Well, we got no time to waste! Let's shift our gears to the max and get a move on!" Amber called, as everyone agreed to it. Joshua had that determined look to go there as quickly as possible…

When I looked at the worried Eirika, she was feeling down because of the name Seth just spoke. "Lyon… do we… have to fight him as well?"

"I can tell you don't want to…" I said solemnly. "If we see him, we'll talk first and make him see reason, but… if he doesn't see reason… we may not have a choice…"

Eirika looked at me concerned as it took a while for her to think about it before she agreed with me. "You're right, Kurogasa. It's still too early to give up just yet. We should try to reason with him first. Come now, we must hurry!" she said while she held my hand as we headed towards our horse quickly.

* * *

_"Queen Ismaire… Please do not resist." A man in this late 30's early 40's with a neatly cut black–brown hair and beard, said with a sword in one hand as he looked at the Queen of Jehanna, Ismaire. That was seated upon the throne. "I have no desire to see you harmed."_

_"Carlyle… Why have you betrayed us?" The queen demanded. "After all these years of loyal service as Jehanna's most decorated commander… Without you, I could not have ruled these long years since my husband's passing. It was through your unwavering support alone that I still sit upon the throne. You are the cornerstone of Jehanna! You have held my trust more than any man. So tell me why! Why have you betrayed us?! Why have you betrayed _me_?!"_

_"Your Highness– No… My Queen…" Carlyle began by bowing and getting on one knee. "Ismaire… It is your own fault. You are too lovely, My Queen."_

_"Carlyle…" Ismaire breathed._

_"The first time I met you, twenty years ago now…" He began slowly. "I saw you in the garden of this very palace… and I was bewitched. Your pale beauty far surpassed that of any flower. I was in the grips of an unforgivable desire… You were the wife of my king, to whom I'd sworn life and loyalty. I told myself a grand lie that day. I told myself I could be happy simply serving you as your most royal knight." The Queen could only stare in disbelief. "After years of duty, years of service, years of… of silence… I became aware once more of the feelings I'd buried deep within me. How could I leave this world without expressing my _true_ desires? Could _anything_ be more desolate? More _devoid_ of meaning? That is when I made my decision. I would follow my heart and claim your hand as my own."_

_"Carlyle…" The queen said, standing up from the royal throne, glaring at him. "You forget yourself. You ruin our country and kill our countrymen. Did you think I would be pleased? Did you think I would love you for _this_?"_

_"I need no country. I care nothing for my countrymen." The queen gasped in horror at his words. "I can see nothing but you. If you would only be mine…"_

_"Carlyle…" She repeated._

* * *

"Well, here we are…" I said. We've finally arrived at Jehanna Hall after traveling across the desert. I tell you, it was hard to get there. The horses were having a hard time getting their footing, and the ones on horses had to walk. Where are the camels when you needed them?! But at this time, I noticed Eirika still feeling down about Lyon as I tried to comfort her. "Eirika?"

"Huh?" she said startled before she had that smile on her face. "I–I'm alright, Kurogasa…"

"Jehanna Hall has been completely occupied by Grado soldiers. I'm sorry to report that Queen Ismaire is already…" Seth said as he couldn't finish his words up as most of us understood what he had to say. And at the same time, Joshua gripped his Killing Edge tightly.

"And the one giving orders to the troops in the palace is Crown Prince Lyon?" Innes asked him, which Seth nodded.

"Wow~, I've never seen such big castles before!" Ewan said impressed.

"What is there to give us pause? Should we not storm the palace and retake it by strength of arms?!" L'Arachel commented, leaving Kurai to sweat drop.

"You really are something else, L'Arachel…" Kurai mentioned.

"Gwah ha, ha! And that's just the way I like it!" Dolza said, leaving Kurai to face palm.

"What did we know of Prince Lyon?" Saleh asked Innes.

"Frelia's spy network reports that Prince Lyon is an initiate of dark magic." Innes informed them as he crossed his arms. "If this is true, even approaching him will be a serious challenge. I'd heard the prince dislikes violence. However, it could all have been a ruse." That statement was enough to make Eirika worried. Worried that somehow… Lyon changed into someone she doesn't recognize anymore.

"Eirika…" I said putting a hand on her shoulder.

Eirika grabbed my hand that I've placed on her shoulder and she held it tightly, hoping for the best as Innes continued to speak. "Still, if we don't retake the palace, we've no hope of defeating Grado. We must rescue the queen, no matter the cost…" Innes said sternly.

"So, it's a race against time, huh? No complaining _here_…" Forde said with his usual smile.

"We should do this posthaste then!" Tana suggested.

"I understand… let's do this." Eirika told them.

"Right," I said then pulled out my ace card and buckle, while the Riders did the same as well. After we slipped in the Ace cards…

"Henshin!"

**TURN/OPEN UP**

**CHANGE**

"Charge~," Storm shouted as seven holograms projected and hovered right in front of us, the Riders dashing towards the hologram, instantly donning us in our armor.

"You heard the boy! Let's go!" Forde said nonchalantly as the knights advanced too.

"Come, Dolza! Let's show them the wrath of the power of Light!" L'Arachel said to him.

"Gwah ha, ha, your wish is my command, Lady L'Arachel!" Dolza shouted happily.

* * *

_Inside the castle, one of the soldiers spotted the incoming group. "To arms, mercenaries," He shouted. "We're under attack!" he commanded as they took arms. It was then he noticed Rennac, just relaxing as he leaned against the wall, much to the soldier's dismay. "You there, ready your weapons!"_

_"What?" The rogue asked as he got off the wall, "No, no, no. That was never part of the deal. The only fight I'm here for is with the locks of the treasure chamber." He added, jabbing a thumb to a door._

_"Hah… Don't get so excited." The Grado solider scoffed. "I doubt you mercenaries will see any action at all once we soldiers have finished."_

_"Yeah, great. You go do that." Rennac sighed waving it off, turning back to the door as the man left. "Whew… With all these soldiers around, I shouldn't have to lift a _finger_. I'll just sit here and wait for them to win the day. Then, I collect my pay!" He grinned as he went to pick the lock. "No more being ordered around by that selfish princess and her moronic bodyguard. This is the life. Lady luck loves me. But something doesn't feel right…"_

_"AHA! There are you Rennac!"_

_The sound of a mirror cracked in Rennac's mind as he saw the one princess he hoped to never meet again… and he did, as she charged forward with the assistance of Dolza, happily chopping off the enemies while Chalice casually walked in and chopped off all of the enemy's weapons in half using his Arrow; while Leangle and Amelia rushed forward to take down some of the enemies that wielded swords. "Oh no… not _you _again…" Rennac muttered under his breath when he spotted her. Chalice noticed him too._

_"Well, well, well… if it isn't Rennac… what luck you have…" Chalice chuckled as Rennac recognized the tone._

_"Kurai?" Rennac asked._

_"Gwah ha, ha! It _is_ him! He may look weird with his new armor, but it's _him_ alright! You can tell by the weird looking sword he holds!" Dolza explained._

_"How many times do I have to tell you, Dolza? It's not a weird sword, it's a Chalice Arrow!" Kurai told him, which left the berserker confused._

_"How did you turn an arrow into something like that?" Dolza said, causing Chalice to face palm on his helmet._

_It was then L'Arachel approached Rennac. "So _this_ is where you've wandered off to, Rennac!"_

_"Princess L'Arachel?! Uh–oh, um…" Rennac stammered before she commanded him like usual._

_"Come with me!" she commanded him._

_"Wait… Hold on now." Rennac replied, shaking his hands before him. "Go with you _where_? Look, I'm sorry, but I've been hired by the Grado Empire, and… Hello! I'm talking to you!" He shouted out as she looked at an old vase._

_"Rennac, whatever is the matter?" The princess said. "I promise to listen to your story later, but now, we must be going!"_

_"No, I'm no servant, like that kook Dolza!" Rennac insisted. "I'm a Mercenary. I escorted you to Renais like I was hired to do! You have no right to drag me across creation without any pay whatsoever!"_

_"Is this about wages?" L'Arachel began. "I believe you've received ample compensation."_

_"AMPLE!?" Rennac bellowed. "Do you even know what that word _MEANS_? You're the princess of Rausten! I thought working for you would pay well. Yet your purse strings are knotted tight, and I've almost been killed so many–"_

_"The joy that comes from doing something good is not something that can be purchased." L'Arachel replied, interrupting him. "There. All better? Let's go." She said, guiding her horse into a trot, turning to the door._

_"No! I said I don't want to! Riding about with you is–" He shouted before noticing the woman's departure. "…And there she goes. Oh… By the Stones, why did I ever take that job in the first place?"_

_"We must hurry, Rennac!" He heard, L'Arachel call out to him._

_"Right, right, I'm coming…" He sighed as he slumps his shoulders and walked slowly while having a metaphorical storm cloud over his head, raining on him._

_"Gwah ha, ha! The group is finally together again!" Dolza happily announced._

_"Don't count me in for you three Amigos… Leangle, Amelia, we should follow!" Chalice told the two._

_"Yes, sir," Amelia told him._

_"Of course, Kurai," Leangle replied before she began to go on as well._

* * *

_On the other group, Artur, Lute, Gerik, Ewan, Saleh, Garren, Glaive, Natasha and Joshua rushed onto another room as they noticed six shamans and two soldiers guarding two treasure chests. "Ooh! Ooh! Ooh! Treasure! Treasure! Treasure," Glaive said hyper jumping up and down._

_"Oh boy… she went into Nami mode again…" Garren said with a sweat drop as he noticed she was already ahead of them. "Ah, chotto matte o, Glaive!"_

_"Ha, ha! I like that girl already!" Gerik said as he ran towards the front with an axe in hand._

_"Don't worry, we'll back her up." Joshua said to him as he followed them._

_"Time to show them my brilliance to them," Lute declared before she casted an Elfire onto one of the shamans._

_"Come, Ewan. Let us assist them…" Saleh told his student._

_"Yay~," Ewan chirped as he and his teacher casted a huge fireball on their grasp._

_"O divine light, please guide these shamans to the righteous path…" Artur said before he blinded one of the shamans._

**BULLET**

**RAPID**

**FIRE**

_The holograms entered Garren's armor._

**BURNING SHOT**

_Taking his aim, he shot out the remaining shamans with his fire bullets, burning their capes and causing the shamans to lose their focus before Lute, Ewan and Saleh threw their blaze towards the shamans, killing them off. Artur conjured a stream of light directly onto the shaman, making him cry in pain before he dropped dead. "May you rest in peace…" Artur told them as Glaive lashed out an 'A' attack onto the other shaman before she took the final bow, letting out a gush of blood from him._

_"Hyah!" Gerik shouted with all of his might, cleaving his axe onto the soldier's sword and shattered their only weapon in hand, much to the soldier's surprise before being cleaved in half. Joshua, on the other hand, was having a hard time taking care of the other soldier as the soldier managed to inflict a wound on his arm, before Joshua retaliated back with a strong slash onto his enemy's chest, causing him to drop dead._

_"Joshua! Are you okay?" Natasha panicked a bit after seeing him getting injured from the earlier slash as he looked on the wound._

_"Yeah, I'm okay… mind healing me up?" he looked at her with his usual smile, as she responded back with one of her own and commenced the healing procedure._

_"That takes care of the shamans…" Garren sighed in relief._

_"Now I want my treasure!" Glaive said still hyper as she immediately went to one of them and tried to pick on the lock._

_"Ano… you're not a thief, remember?" Garren tried telling her, which she was annoyed to not to be able to open the lock. In the end, she just chopped it off, leaving Garren to have another sweat drop. "Uh… forget what I said just now." Inside both of the treasure chests, it contained 5000 gold and a Killer Lance._

_"Treasurrrrrre…" Glaive said as she was drooling behind her mask._

_"Glaive… let's keep going right now…" Garren told her as she grabbed all of the treasure she could get before Garren dragged his new girlfriend to go to the main room._

* * *

The knights of Renais, Gilliam, Vanessa, Colm, Neimi, Moulder, Ross, Garcia, Innes, Cormag, Tethys, Marisa, Lance, Larc, Tana, Eirika and I headed towards the main hall as we noticed the hallway was filled with sages, warriors, berserkers and heavily guarded Generals as they tried to stop us from getting to the throne room.

"Let no one survives!" one of the warriors from the enemies' side shouted.

"This isn't good…" Tethys pointed out.

"Yeah, it isn't, but we're gonna have to bust through them." I said. "I'll deal with this." I then used a card.

**MACH**

In an instant, the Mach Jaguar projected out and appeared right behind me before it entered my armor, causing me to enter Clock Up mode. I wielded my Rouzer tightly before starting to disarm every single enemy I can find within the time limit. When time was up, I was already at the end of the hallway, making the warriors surprised, as if they thought I learned how to teleport from one place to another. At the same time, they noticed their weapons have already been destroyed by me as I slaughtered one of the mages in front of me.

"Charge!" Seth called out before the knights of Renais, Cormag, and Gilliam charged forward, killing them off in an instant as Eirika, Tana, Larc and Lance ran towards my direction.

"Wow, quick thinking!" Tana praised me with her big smile.

"Yes, without their weapons in hand, they can't do _anything_ about it…" Eirika pointed out.

"Thanks girls, now let's clean house!" I said smugly rousing two cards.

**SLASH**

**THUNDER**

The holograms of Slash Lizard and Thunder Deer entered my Rouzer.

**LIGHTNING SLASH**

"Right!" both Tana and Eirika said in unison.

"_Someone's_ in a good mood…" Larc smirked behind her helmet.

"Let him have his moment…" Lance told her before the five of us charged forward towards the remaining soldiers down the hallway.

* * *

_At the throne room, Caellach and Lyon teleported right at the front of the Queen as Carlyle looked at them before bowing. "Hey, Carlyle! Impressive work you've done here. My compliments," Caellach smirked as Carlyle looked back to Caellach._

_"_…_I gave you everything I promised. I opened the hall to your forces." he informed him._

_"Yes. The palace is mine." Caellach said with a smile. "My palace… Oh, how I do like the sound of that!"_

_"Do whatever you want with the royal treasury. The only treasure I wish to leave here with is the queen of my heart." Carlyle said as he held the queen's hand gently, until Caellach remembered something._

_"Oh, yeah, about "your queen"…There's been a change of plans…" he told Carlyle as he shoved him aside and take her by force, held her hostage as Carlyle noticed and grabbed his sword. Caellach then pointed the blade at the queen's neck. "Don't move, Carlyle. You twitch, and the queen dies." he threatened him with a smirk as Carlyle slowly placed his sword back onto its sheath._

_"Blackheart!" Carlyle snarled, "What is the _meaning_ of this?"_

_"Calm down." Caellach replied, smiling. "You'll get her back as soon as I'm done with her. Jehanna's Sacred Stone is around here somewhere. I've got to find it and destroy it." The queen's eyes widened at this. "I need this woman to guide me to its hiding place."_

_"Do _not_ lay a hand on my queen!"_

_"Don't get so incensed." Caellach replied calmly, "I'm not going to harm her. I'm not like that freak Valter. I'm _kind_ to women. But if you make a wrong move, you'll lose your prize. Understood?"_

_"Yes…" Carlyle uttered._

_"There are some annoying pests outside who think to win back the hall." He continued, smirking. "I want you to take care of them. Lose, and the queen will never be yours."_

_"_…_If my queen comes to any harm in your care…"_

_"Yes, of course." Caellach said. 'I know all about the might of your sword arm. As long as the Sacred Store is destroyed, you'll get all you ask for." He then turned to Lyon. "Let's get going, Prince."_

_"Caellach…" Lyon began. "You will put an end to this. Destroying the Sacred Stones is… Ugh… Ack…"_

_"What's this?" Caellach said, shrugging. "Are you still ill? You know, you're not very princely. C'mon. Follow me."_

_"Caellach…" Lyon muttered before they started to leave. Lyon soon followed as a trio of knights and a pair of soldiers came into the room, Carlyle moving to sit on the throne to await the enemy._

* * *

"Gah! There's still too _many_ of them!" Larc complained as more of them entered into the hallway.

"Where in the world did they come from?! A 4th dimension pocket or something?!" Lance said annoyed before he thrusts his Rouzer onto them.

Cormag was so busy with the enemy in front of him, he failed to notice another soldier stalking behind him. When he was about to go for the kill, Glen intervened and stabbed his lance onto him instead. "No one can attack my little brother from the back!"

"Glen!" Cormag said happy to see his brother helped him, despite him only wielding a spear with one hand.

It was then I noticed Innes approaching to us. "We better move out for now! The rest of them can stop the enemy's advance!"

"Right!" I nodded before we began to rush towards the hallway. Along the way, another two figures joined in as Joshua and Natasha appeared from it. "Where's the rest of the group?" I asked him.

"They'll handle the rest as the lad told me to move on for now…" Joshua informed me.

"I suggest you should stay with them and–"

"No, I'm going with you, Kurogasa; whether you like it or not…" Joshua said sternly, which was rare for me to see.

I looked at him for a while until I said, "Alright fine, just stay close." I answered.

Without hesitation, he immediately rushed towards the throne room with the rest of them, leaving me and Lance behind. "Is it just me, or did I somehow sense anger in him?"

"Yeah, I got the feeling too. We better follow him." I suggested to which he nodded and we followed Joshua.

* * *

Eventually, we reached the throne room as we were expecting to see Queen Ismaire to be saved… but we were dead wrong. Instead, the one that invited us is none other than a group of soldiers pointing their weapons at us and there was a man sitting at the throne, anticipating for our arrival. "So, the princess and her escorts have arrived…" the man said to us as he stood up from his throne and the look on his face suddenly changed when he noticed someone among the group and judging by the glance, I'm 100% sure I knew who's he looking at… "You… could it be?" he was in a shock to see him again.

"Carlyle…" yep, my hunch was right on the money as it was Joshua who responded to his call as he stepped forward, confronting the swordsman. "How did this happen? You taught me how to wield a blade. _You _of all people…"

"You've returned." he responded before Carlyle looked down. "But now… It's too late. It's _far_ too late."

"Joshua, let us–"

"NO KUROGASA!" Joshua suddenly shouted. "HE'S MINE!"

"Whoa, I've never seen him angry before…" Tana said a bit surprised from his sudden change of attitude as Natasha couldn't help but get worried.

Joshua stood to him as he unsheathed his Killing Edge, getting into a stance. "Carlyle… what you did is unforgivable!" he shouted at him.

"I'm sorry… I… I just wanted the two of us…" Carlyle managed to say before the two clashed swords with each other.

In the meantime… we should take care of the ones that are surrounding us as I slashed out one of the knights with my electrified sharp Rouzer, slicing away their large shield before I pushed him back to the wall. Meanwhile, Lance was taking care with a pair of soldiers, protecting Natasha from harm. Larc and Innes took aim and released some shots onto the two incoming knights that defended themselves with a shield before Tana and Eirika stepped forward and clashed their weapons with the enemy.

"Where's Queen Ismaire?! Where's my mother?!" Joshua demanded.

WAIT WHAT?! Queen Ismaire is his mother?! But that would mean–!

"I'm sorry, my prince… she has been taken hostage…" Carlyle told him before he dodged one of Joshua's swift swings at him.

"No way?! He's _that_ missing prince?!" Lance said surprised as he took a blow from the enemy, creating sparks on his armor. He countered them back with a rouse…

**MIGHTY**

The Mighty Hologram conjured in front of him as his Rouzer absorbed it and slashes them out, killing them in an instant.

"First we have L'Arachel as a princess travelling with us, and now Joshua is the prince?!" Larc said also in disbelief as she almost lost focus onto her enemy at the front. Now it make senses… his strange behavior over the last few days, those avoids whenever I tried to ask him, the rumors regarding the missing prince 10 years ago and the person that was waiting for her was none other than his mother, Queen Ismaire… but the only question remains… why?

"Why!? After all these years, why now?!" Joshua demanded.

"You don't understand! I have always been a loyal knight to your mother and the country, making a vow from your late father to protect her from harm! But… as much as I tried to control it, I couldn't! I've always dreamed of being with your mother and nothing more! I don't want the title, power or anything! She's the only one I care most, even if it means betraying the country for my sake!" Carlyle explained to his student, which made Joshua more furious as he slashed down his Killing Edge and Carlyle only kept on his defense; as if he doesn't have the will to fight his student.

**MIGHTY**

Larc took aim and launched a few arrows of flames onto the knights, burning and melting their armor as they screamed in pain as Innes shoot out four arrows simultaneously, piercing through their knee caps to force them to be on their knees before Eirika and Tana stabbed their necks, killing the knights in an instant.

"What kind of an excuse is _that_?!" I snapped as I slashed at a knight, killing him in an instant. "You would _really_ go that far just to get what you _want_?! It's inexcusable and unforgivable!"

"As unforgivable as it is, it's the only thing I knew!" Carlyle snapped before he easily broke Joshua's offense and landed a cut on his left shoulder before giving him a kick, causing Joshua to stumble back a few times while holding his shoulder that bled really badly.

"Joshua!" most of us called to him as we tried to assist him but he pointed his sword at us with his angry glare.

"Don't interfere! This is _my_ battle!" Joshua claimed even though the shoulder of his trench coat was now covered in blood.

"Joshua…" Natasha said worried.

"No matter how long you've trained, you'll _never_ defeat me, Joshua! Admit it!" Carlyle taunted him as Joshua stood his ground.

"I admit… I'll never defeat you… with my skills alone…" Joshua muttered as he took a few deep breaths to calm himself down while Carlyle kept his offensive stance. When Joshua finally cooled down, he looked at Carlyle with a confident smile on his face, leaving the latter confused. "…but with the help from my friends that I've traveled with, I _can_ defeat you!" Joshua replied as he held his sword downwards and… held it high?

"Wait a minute… isn't that gesture…?" Lance asked me as I noticed it as well.

"Like my Lightning Blast stance." I finished.

"What kind of stance is that?!" Carlyle asked looking at him with a bizarre look before Joshua slowly descended his sword, stabbing it and immediately ran towards him while dragging the sword, creating sparks on it. Within range, he makes a leap while still holding his sword downwards forcing Carlyle to put his defense above him, thinking Joshua would attack him from above.

…that was his biggest mistake…

"Gotcha!" Joshua replied to him, delivering a kick onto his unprotected stomach, causing Carlyle to bow down in pain before Joshua stabbed his sword _through_ his back to the front, taking Carlyle's sword and finishing it off with another stab on Carlyle's stomach.

"Gah!" the wounded man got out coughing out blood as Joshua stood firm and took his sword from Carlyle's back by force and slid it back into its sheath. Carlyle kneeled down as he continued to cough out blood while Larc turned away from the view by hugging Lance. "Queen Ismaire… I…"

"Your service is no longer needed… class is over, teacher…" Joshua told him before Carlyle laid flat on his chest on the ground, letting the sword on his stomach pierced through his body and stayed motionless right after that.

"Wow…" I got out. It was then he looked at a door and ran towards it, neglecting the wound on his shoulder.

"Hey, where's he going?" Tana asked which made me realize it.

"The Queen!" I said.

* * *

_"This is a good a place as any." Caellach said, pulling the queen to her own chambers. "All right, Your Majesty. Hand over the Sacred Stone."_

_"…I know nothing of the Sacred Stone's keeping place." She spoke calmly._

_"Don't waste my time." He said, gesturing with his head to Lyon. "My partner here sees everything. When the rebellion began, you went straight to the palace altar." He took his shield off he back, setting it on his arm. "You had hoped to prevent us from smashing the Sacred Stone." Caellach continued. "But you have the Stone of Jehanna with you right _now_, don't you?" The queen didn't answer, only glaring at him. "Hand it over. Cooperate and I'll let you live." He said._

_"…I cannot."_

_"Oh, give it up, _will_ you?" He groaned. "I've no time for games. If you resist, I'll just kill you and take it anyway."_

_"H–Hold!" Lyon interrupted, raising a hand. "You mustn't harm her, Caellach…" He spoke out, panting uneasily._

_"Shut up, Prince." Caellach said impatiently, banging his axe to his shield. "My orders come from higher than you. You're not going to start disobeying his word, are you?" That got Lyon to stay quiet. "Last chance; Give me your Sacred Stone."_

_"…I cannot."_

_"Ha ha," He laughed a bit. "A queen to the end. I _like_ you. You've got guts. Goodbye." He said raising his axe and…_

_*SLASH!*_

_He cut her across her stomach before the Queen fell over. Something dropped from her dress pocket and it was none other than the Sacred Stone of Jehanna. "And here's the Sacred Stone." Caellach grinned "That makes two for me. I'm on a _roll_ now." He chuckled a before bringing the weapon down on the stone, shattering it into pieces. "And another Sacred Stone has been destroyed. Grado, Frelia and now Jehanna… Only two stones remain."_

_"Uhh… ahh…" The queen let off, rolling onto her back in pain._

_"Ah… What should I do?" Lyon muttered, looking at the bloodied woman, panting louder. "C–Caellach… You must _help_ her."_

_"Leave her." He shrugged without a care. "Let her last breath be a harsh and ragged rasp. She's not long for this world. Why, if you _really_ wanted to help her, you'd deliver the final blow _yourself_!"_

_"N–No. I couldn't."_

_"…What a joke." Caellach sighed, groaning a bit. "I have a little work to wrap up before we leave. You should hit the road pretty soon, too, Prince." He said before walking off. Moments later Lyon left as well._

* * *

"Mother!" Joshua yelled running down a hallway.

Man, he's _too_ fast to catch up! But who wouldn't, if someone that you love the most is the one that's in danger… on one corner, I even saw him dodge L'Arachel's group very fast, much to their surprise. When I looked at my back, I noticed Eirika panting heavily because the stairs that led to another floor before getting onto the hallway was just _too_ long to be true, longer than any castle we've been through before.

"Since Queen Ismaire isn't at the throne room, she's probably held hostage somewhere with the stone…" Innes pointed out before he looked back.

"You guys go ahead, we'll catch up." I told them as Innes goes first, followed by Storm, Amber, Tana, and Natasha. L'Arachel's group had just arrived from another corner as they were confused about something.

"Oh my, I thought I saw Joshua running really fast just now." Melissa–sempai said.

"Is the Queen alright?" L'Arachel asked us.

"That's what we're trying to figure out." I answered. "Hopefully, she is."

"I'll go look ahead then…" L'Arachel told me before she also went upstairs.

"Well, I guess we should call it a day now…" Kurai muttered as he scratched his head and turned the other way. "C'mon, Melissa, Amelia. We better gather everyone to the throne room…" Melissa–sempai and Amelia nodded as the three walked back from where they came from earlier as Rennac and Dolza joined them.

"I hope the Queen is alright…" Eirika hoped.

"Yeah, me too." I agreed. All of a sudden, a light shined in front of us and we were blinded for a moment, before it dimmed down. When it _did _dim down and both of us lowered our eyes, Eirika's eyes widened in shock.

"Lyon?" Eirika gasped.

Wait, that's Lyon?

"Eirika…" he said with a low tone before he took a few steps back.

"Wait, Lyon! Don't run away!" she shouted as she left my side, immediately running towards him and placed her hands on his shoulder, looking worried. "My brother and I have been so worried about you…" she told him, as Lyon couldn't do anything but look down. "We know more than anyone the gentleness of your spirit. Your father is deranged, isn't he? That's why Grado invaded Renais, right? Tell me, Lyon… Please… Tell me what has happened." Eirika pleaded him but Lyon's only reply was gently pushing her aside both of her hands on him and took another few steps back.

"I'm sorry, Eirika. I've wanted to see you and Ephraim for so long now… I wanted to see you so that I could apologize." he said, leaving me confused on his choice of words. "The invasion of Renais… I couldn't stop it. I'm sorry, but I still cannot talk to you. Not yet…" he said to her while shaking his head in denial. "I promise I will tell you everything someday."

"I see… I believe you, Lyon." She said, "I must tell you, I'm a little relieved. I was afraid you'd changed as much as your poor father has. I'm so glad."

"Me, too, Eirika… No, you _have_ changed. You're even more beautiful than you were before."

"L–Lyon…?" She said, looking confused.

"I'm sorry, I have to go. But please remember this. This war started because I was too weak to stop it, but… I'll always be your friend." And with that, a light shined again from him, and when it dimmed down, he was gone just like that.

"That… was Lyon?" I asked.

She nodded lightly before whispering his name worried tone. "Lyon…"

"Hey!" a voice said behind us. It was L'Arachel. "Why are you two _standing_ over there?! Queen Ismaire has been found in her chamber! This way!" she signaled us before she ran back up as Eirika and I followed suit.

* * *

After a while, we eventually reached to a room where L'Arachel walked in but surprisingly, Joshua was leaning against the wall, near the door with a sad look on his face. "Joshua, aren't you going to enter her room?" I asked him, but no reply. In the end, Eirika and I entered the room and we were shocked to see the Queen, lying on the floor as Amber lets the queen's head rest on her lap while she's being blindfold due to her fears of blood. She sure has a lot of courage to help her out, despite the fear she had.

"How's the wound, Natasha? Is it…" Innes asked her, but she could only shake her head in denial with a sad look.

"I'm sorry… her injuries are fatal and even with our combined healing magic, it won't be enough…" Natasha replied sadly. "The very least I can do is lessening her pain…"

"I see…" Innes replied while looking at me. "It seems like we're too late…"

"…Jo… Joshua…" The queen let off, "…Joshua…"

"Queen Ismaire!" Eirika cried out as she and I ran to her side.

"Oh, Joshua…" The queen let off, coughing once. "Where is… that boy…"

"Queen Ismaire…" Eirika repeated as tears flowed out of her own eyes.

"Please forgive me, Joshua… I was a foolish mother… I was so intent on being queen that I spared no time to be your mother. But I loved you nonetheless… Please understand…"

"I know, Mother." We all turned around to see Joshua suddenly in the room as he took off his hat and knelt at her side.

"Joshua…" The queen let off, smiling widely. "It really _is_ you… Joshua… my son…" The queen let off, a tear shedding down her cheek.

"I'm sorry, Mother. I should _never_ have left you. I've no excuse… I wanted to see the world as a man, not a prince. I wanted to be worthy. I planned on returning to your side afterward… I was so foolish. If I'd been here, I could have–"

"No, it's fine." The woman replied, smiling still. "You're here now… Listen to me, Joshua. The Stone of Jehanna has… been destroyed. The one who tempted Carlyle is responsible…"

"What?" Joshua let off. "Who was it?"

"Carried a dark stone… It is… the origin of all this… It should not exist… Joshua… you must… Our country… our people…"

"I understand, Mother."

"Thank you… Joshua… I have something… Something I must give you…" She began, lifting a hand to point to a chest that's in the room. I went to the chest to open it and when I took it out to show to everyone, it showed a sword. The blade looked like as if it was made of ice and the other was a green tome that had some picture of a wind current.

"That's…" Joshua began.

"The Sacred Twins, unique to House Jehanna… Audhulma, the Ice Blade, and Excalibur, the Swift Wind. He who would rule our land must possess it… I've watched over it since your father passed away. I kept it… mostly safe and waited for this day to come…"

"Mother…" Joshua got out, a tear rolling down his cheek. "I have it now. I understand its meaning…"

"Joshua… My… dear, sweet child…" And with that, her eyes fluttered shut, head tilting away. A smile still on her face before her last breath was out.

Joshua could only hold his deceased mother in his arms and hug her gently as the room was filled with silence. "C'mon… let's give him some time to regroup…' Amber told us as everyone agreed. As everyone walked out of the room with the Sacred Twins of Jehanna in hand, I noticed Natasha looking at him worriedly outside the door. I approached her to signal her to leave him be. She gave me a nod and I glanced at Joshua, who had tears falling out from his eyes as he cried quietly for his mother's death. I couldn't blame him since I don't know what it feels like to have a mother that cares for me since my parents died when I was still young…

* * *

Everyone soon regrouped to the throne room and we waited there for a while. And after that while, Joshua came out. Eirika, Innes, L'Arachel and I met up with him. "Where's your mother?" I asked.

"I had Seth, and a few other knights take her somewhere outside the Palace, where she will be buried." Joshua answered. Everyone was silent for a while before he continued. "It's been more than ten years. I'd grown tired of the formality of palace life so I… just left. I wrote a farewell and left the palace, taking nothing with me. I felt I could never understand the people while I stayed sequestered in a castle. I abandoned my identity and roamed the continent, working where I could. I wanted only to be worthy of becoming king. I knew one day I would return. Good grief, I was so foolish! I was such a child, I see it now." He shook his head, "Was I simply rebelling against my mother? Punishing her for tending to her duties? I was a fool, yes, but I've learned much over these ten years. I have learned about the hearts of our people, how they need to be governed. I have learned how our country needs to change and to grow. I have learned much, but I've lost much more. Mother…"

"Prince Joshua…" Eirika said sadly.

"I made a promise." he began while looking at the rest of us with his sad eyes. "I want to continue what she began. I will help defeat Grado. I will defend Jehanna and her allies." he said determined tone as he looked down once again. "…I know it doesn't sound like me, but…"

While Joshua doubted himself, Innes took something from his trench coat and pulls out a letter, handing it to Joshua. "On behalf of Frelia, I came to Jehanna with a letter to the throne. I give it to you." he said, making Joshua look at him for a moment before he took the letter. "Prince Joshua of Jehanna… Let us fight together."

He looked at it and without hesitation, gave us a nod of agreement, which made L'Arachel excited all of a sudden. "Renais, Frelia, Rausten, and Jehanna. Four nations… united!"

"No, not four nations…" Joshua corrected as he shifted his attention to me. "_Five_ nations."

"Five?" I asked.

"Yes. You are from another world, correct? It would be better if you joined forces with us, legendary Rider." Joshua implied, leaving me with a smile on my face as I shook his hand that he offered me.

"It would be my honor."

"Fire!" A voice cried out. One of the few surviving Jehanna soldiers rushed towards us. "Fires have broken out all through the hall!"

"What?" Joshua let off.

"The curtains were soaked in oil, with torches set about the hall. It's a trap!"

WHAT?!

"How did…" Eirika got out.

"They must've done this before or during the battle! Everyone out, now!" I shouted.

The rest of our group including us Riders royal family nodded as we headed towards the big door but there's one problem… Innes, L'Arachel, Joshua and everyone else managed to get out via the big door but before the Eirika and I could even get out from it, the roof suddenly collapse and blocked our way out, forcing both of us to be trapped in here. "Kurogasa, what should we do? The flames are getting hotter!" Eirika said to me as she let out a few coughs from the smoke coming out from the flames.

"Don't worry, I'll find us a way out!" I assured her coughing out as well, as I placed my ace card in the buckle. "Henshin!"

**TURN UP**

The hologram went towards me and I was donned in my armor. I looked around and there were no exits and flying out is out of the question because I can't risk us being toppled down by falling debris. There's only one thing for me to do. I took out the two cards needed. First, I slipped in the Absorb Queen card.

**ABSORB QUEEN**

It let out a pulsing sound as I now looked at the new card I acquired: Evolution Caucasus. "Alright, here goes nothing!" I slid the Evolution Caucasus card across the reader.

**EVOLUTION KING**

After I roused the Evolution King on it, I was hoping to get my King Form… but…

*BA DUMP*

"Gh!" suddenly, my whole body was covered in electricity as I kneeled down in pain, hugging myself from it.

"Kurogasa, are you alri–" Eirika said worried as she tried to hold onto me but for some reason, she can't as my body conducted electricity, causing her to back off while coughing up some more due to the flame.

"Gwayrrrrgh!" I screamed in pain as the electricity continued to shock me… oh man, my vision is going blurry… must… stay… focus… but I can't… the electricity was too much for me to handle as eventually, I was knocked out from it, thus my transformation was canceled out, unable to reach King Form. The very last thing I heard was Eirika screaming out my name…

* * *

_"Is everyone alright? Did anyone get left behind?" L'Arachel asked as everyone managed to get out of the Hall in time while everyone was still coughing from the smoke._

_"Wait a minute! Where's Kurogasa and Eirika?!" Tana panicked._

_"Yabai! Those two are still in there!" Amber shouted as she looked at the burning castle's direction. In an instant, Tana was the first one to run back to the castle. "Wait, Tana!" Amber shouted as she wanted to make a chase for it, until a voice called her out._

_"Big sis, wait!" and she did. When Amber turned around, she noticed Akira coming to her, making her slightly angry_

_"What is it?! I don't have time! Those two are still in there!" Amber scolded him as Akira handed her two cards on his hand._

_"Please use both of these! I'm sure it'll come in handy!" Akira told her. When she looked at it, it was Gel Jellyfish and Blizzard Polar._

_"Alright, fine!" Amber said before taking it. She then slipped in her Ace card in the buckle and it wrapped around her waist before running after Tana. "Henshin!"_

**OPEN UP**

_A red hologram came out and Amber went through it donning her in her armor. "Tana! Wait up!"_

_"Kurogasa! Eirika!" Tana shouted as she eventually reached the burning castle, but some of the bricks fell off from the tower. Tana halted her running and luckily for her, she managed to stop in time._

_"Hey, I said wait up!" Larc told her until she eventually caught up with her. "Geez, ever heard of waiting for me?"_

_"Amber! Please! You have to help them!" Tana practically begged in tears as Larc nodded in agreement and stepped forward._

_"I just hope these two cards could bring out a good combo…" Larc said to herself before she roused the two cards._

**BLIZZARD**

**GEL**

_In an instant, the Blizzard Polar and Gel Jellyfish appeared behind her before it entered her Rouzer, causing the whole weapon to feel cold. Taking her aim, she charged up for an attack and when she pulled the trigger, a blob–like shot landed on the big gate, making them confused for a bit. The blob then suddenly expanded rapidly and engulfed all the flames, turning them into ice and eventually, the whole castle was now filled with ice instead of fire, with a slight trace of smoke appearing from the inside._

_"Whoa, didn't see that one coming…" Larc said a little surprised._

_"Doesn't matter! We have to get in there!" Tana cried out not caring about it._

_"I know that!" Larc complained before she roused two more cards on her Rouzer._

**MIGHTY**

**SCOPE**

_With both declarations, both the Scope Bat and Mighty Kerberos entered into her armor as sense of accuracy heightened up to the point of knowing where the two are as she took aim at the big gate._

_"W–What are you_ doing_?!" Tana asked._

_"Don't worry. I know what I'm doing. I know they're at the front gate and I can shoot out a focused shot to make way for us to get to them safely…" Larc told her before she pulled the trigger, causing the fireball to destroy the big gate and the barrier behind it. When smoke and debris cleared out from their view, they saw Kurogasa and Eirika there, as Eirika was on top of him due to losing consciousness from the flames and the intense heat being too much for her to bear._

_"Eirika!" Tana cried out._

_"Kurogasa!" Amber cried out as well. With her transformation canceled out, both of them dragged them out of the castle and it was in the nick of time before the whole castle crumbled down before them, leaving only the debris of where a great castle once stood._

* * *

"Kurogasa! Kurogasa! Wake up!"

Huh… who's calling me?

"Please, wake up!" that voice continued as I slowly opened up my eyes and realized it was Eirika who shook me up as she suddenly broke down in tears and held me tightly. "Kurogasa, you're alright! I thought I lost you in those flames! What were you _thinking_ about earlier?!"

"I'm sorry…" I apologized smiling sadly as I hugged her back. "I thought I could get us out of there. Guess I was wro– mmph!" She cut me off when Eirika suddenly kissed me on my lips again, and to my dismay everyone else watching this.

"Oh my… _this_ is a first…" L'Arachel blinked witnessing the whole thing as everyone was surprised from her sudden kiss onto me.

"Why am I watching this…?" Rennac sighed before he looked away, gaining no interest or whatsoever.

"Princess Eirika?" Seth asked as his eyes were wide open, as well as the rest of the knights. Pretty much almost everyone was shocked to witness it, even Tana herself other than the Riders which they already knew about as they could only smile, except Kurai who didn't have any interest as he just looked away.

"My, my… the flowers are blossoming very well…" Melissa–sempai said with a smile.

"Yeah, I can pretty much understand what you're saying, Sempai…" Amber replied back as eventually Eirika pulled back from the kiss we had.

"Don't you ever do something like that again, you hear me?" Eirika asked.

"Alright, I promise." I smiled sadly.

"Look on the bright side, at least the enemy's trap _almost_ worked like a charm… which they failed miserably at…" Kurai said as everyone got back to the main point.

Innes thought of this whole situation as he knew something didn't add up. "No, this castle isn't a trap…"

"W–What do you mean?" Neimi asked him as Akira _also_ noticed something wrong about it.

"This castle acted as a decoy, hence, the reason for the fire. To drive us out from the palace. This is the only conclusion we can think off, right, big bro?" Akira pointed out, as Innes nodded in agreement.

"We must assemble the troops. The enemy is coming at us…" Innes told us.

"How is it that both of you know _that_?" L'Arachel asked them.

"Ever heard of 'brains'? That's what they're using…" Kurai sweat dropped as they noticed Glen descend down from the sky.

"I bear to you all bad news. The Grado forces are heading towards our direction… and there are two armies that are led by Caellach the Tiger Eye and Valter the Moonstone…" Glen informed us.

Oh great… just what we need.

"But we _barely_ escaped the castle!" Mikoto pointed out.

"Yeah, and these guys don't want to give us a chance to take a break…" Storm replied.

"Two armies… They're willing to send so many here and leave the capital defenseless?" Innes questioned.

"Why does everyone seem so distraught? It matters not who stands in our path. We shall smite them all with the power of righteousness!" L'Arachel cheered.

"Princess Eirika… It's going to be very difficult for us to continue." Seth told her, while catching my attention. "One of Grado's generals alone is more than a match for us, especially Valter because of what he did to the Riders. Compound that with the exhaustion of our troops, and I'm not sure we can–"

"Bah!" Innes let out frustrated. "With Jehanna Hall in flames, we've no place to hole up and dig in for a siege. We have to retreat. We have to win ourselves time for form a plan." He suggested.

"One problem, though… both sides are heading towards our direction…" Glen informed, making Innes flinch.

"At times like this, we better plan it carefully…" Vanessa said.

"Grado sent two generals… What could be happening in their capital? And what of Ephraim? Is he still alive?" he questioned, making Eirika looked down worried.

"…Brother…" she muttered under her breath.

"We're gonna get out of this." I assured her placing my hands on her shoulders before she looked up at me. "I promise we'll _all_ get out of this. I won't let anything happen to you Eirika."

"Kurogasa…" she let out softly before she nodded.

"Alrighty! Until those forces come at us, for now, we should take a breather here!" Gerik informed us as it has been decided. The only thing left right now is the war… Valter, I'm coming for you!

* * *

And there you have it! Another chapter down! And yes, Eirika and Tana both kissed Kurogasa. But Eirika got a second one in on Kurogasa, so:

Eirika: 2 Tana: 1

XD Anyways, get to reviewing people!


	18. Chapter 15: Scorched Sand

Hey there everybody! It's time for another chapter of Kamen Rider Blade: The Sacred Stones! Let's go!

Disclaimer: Same thing.

* * *

Chapter 15: Scorched Sand

For now, I and the rest of the Riders are resting along with the rest of the troops. They knew the enemy was gonna be here any time. Everyone was relaxing for now, but at the same time, they had to be on their guard for anything. "Geez, waiting for them is like waiting for a ticking time bomb to explode…" Mikoto complained.

"I know, lass… but there's not much choice we have left…" Gilliam told her.

"…they're late…" Marisa said as she looked from afar.

"At least _someone's_ prepared for the worst…" Mikoto said with a sweat drop.

* * *

_Meanwhile, as Amelia practiced her lance by thrusting it forward, Franz approached her once again as she stopped her training and looked at him. "Oh, Sir Franz!"_

_"Amelia, hello. Call me Franz." he told her, which surprised her a bit._

_"What? But…"_

_"We are rivals, right? There's no need for the formality of titles." he reminded her, which she nodded happily._

_"Oh, of course not, sir!" she said, which made Franz laugh a bit._

_"Oh, you did it again!" he replied smiling, as she also broke down into a giggle._

_"Well, then… I got it, Franz."_

_"Good."_

_"To be honest, I'm not used to being so casual." she told him as Franz understood._

_"Amelia, what do you think of this war?" Franz asked her._

_"What?" she asked him in confusion._

_"I still don't understand why Grado chose to invade Renais." he doubted as he recalled some memories. "Grado and Renais were allies. Their royal families were close friends. Why, Prince Ephraim and Princess Eirika are friends with your Prince Lyon." he added as he crossed his arms and began to think it through. "I detect something funny here. I simply cannot believe a friendship so strong could end so abruptly. How many lives have been destroyed by such a seemingly random turn of events? Perhaps the prince and princess know more of the truth, but…" he tried to understand, as Amelia looked down sadly._

_"I…"_

_"Oh, I'm sorry. I don't mean to besmirch your homeland's name." Franz quickly apologized, which she waved it off._

_"No, it's all right. I wonder what drives Grado's ambitions now, too." Amelia said beginning to have doubts herself once again as she recalled her memories of the past. "I was born in a rural village and raised in Grado's countryside. Ever since I was a little child, I took pride in my home's origins. Grado, of course, is named after the legendary hero who saved all of Magvel. I thought I lived in a country that believed in justice and peace." she stopped for a moment before she looked upon the vast desert. "But this war… It's something different than all that."_

_"Amelia…" Franz said lowly as he placed his hands onto her shoulders. "I'm sorry. This war must be especially painful for you…"_

_"I'll be fine, Franz." she said to him before she looked at him with a smile. "But thank you, though. It was wrong of Grado to invade Renais. Nothing can justify it. Grado has no right to destroy whole nations, ruin people's lives. This is all so… so wrong!" she stated sternly. "I began this war as a soldier in Grado's armies. But now… I just want to believe… I want to believe in justice! I want to know I'm doing the right thing!"_

_"Amelia…" he said surprised from her determination as he let out a small smile on his face. "I understand it all very well. Your love of your homeland… Your sense of justice, of honor… If there's anything I can do to help you, please let me know. We are rivals, but that doesn't mean we can't also be friends, right?"_

_"Franz…" both of their gazes met for a moment, as she had a faint blush on her face. "Thank you…"_

_"I won't let you down!" Franz assured her._

_"Neither will I!"_

* * *

In the meantime, while Natasha stayed by Joshua's side at his mother's grave, Melissa–sempai lets Kurai rest his head on her lap while she took a nap leaning against the tree, Eirika was also letting me rest my head on _her_ lap, which made me blush a bit. "A–Are you sure it's okay for you to do this?" I asked her.

"You were suffering from the lightning earlier and you still need to rest… so, this is the least I can do for you…" she replied with a smile and blush while she gently combed my hair with her soft hand. And I gotta say; it's still feels awkward to me…

"I guess…" I smiled gently. "Thanks…"

"You're welcome…" she replied back before Tana hugged me all of a sudden, surprising both of us for a moment.

"Hey~, Kurogasa!" Tana chirped up.

"T–Tana, why are you here?" Eirika asked.

"Say, mind if I borrow him for a while?" Tana asked Eirika before she dragged me along without waiting for her reply. I winced at this due to not being recovered from my shock of King Form yet. Eventually, I managed to get back on my feet and both of us walked towards behind the destroyed castle, far from their view so we could have a chat of our own.

"What is it Tana?" I asked. And without a second thought, she immediately kissed me on my lips while I was being forced to lean against the wall. After a while, she slowly broke the kiss apart while looking down at the moment, and me blinking in confusion. Man, this is getting out of hand…

"Ne…" she said in a low tone while still looking down. "Have you… found your answer yet?"

"I…" I got out. I might as well tell her. "Yes, I have…"

It was then she looked at me with her sad eyes. "Then, who did you choose?" she asked me.

"I… Tana, I really don't want to hurt you in any way, I _really_ don't… but… I choose Eirika. I love her, Tana… I really do…"

Tana was a bit surprised from my answer as she looked down. "I see… I guess I'm not good enough for you, huh?"

"No, Tana, that's not it." I said immediately. "I admit, you're beautiful, cheery, and know when to put a smile on someone's face, despite the circumstances we're in. I know you have feelings for me and I appreciate that you do, but… the one that has really caught my attention since I got here was Eirika. She's facing a lot of danger for someone who doesn't like violence and I was always there for her. I can't really help but be worried for her because she puts a lot of trust in me and the danger she's in. Believe me, I care about you too Tana. I really do, but…" I tried to explain more only to have her forefinger stop me from speaking further.

"I understand… don't worry about it…" she replied while removing her finger from my lips.

"Eh?" I asked.

"I knew from the start you had feelings for her and it's your decision to choose to be with her and I don't blame you." she replied as she looked at me with her usual smile. "Besides, I'm not gonna let my friendship with Eirika be affected because of this! But, if you _ever_ hurt her feelings or break her heart in _any_ way, be prepared to feel my lance on you! Got that?" Tana warned me with her smile.

"Um… okay." I answered. Wow, that was better than I expected.

She lets go of me and backed off a bit. "Well, I guess there are things that aren't meant to come true, huh?" she asked me.

"I guess…" I got out. "So… are you sure you're okay with this?" I asked.

"Don't worry! I'm fine with it since I know you will protect my friend!" Tana replied back as she moved out and when she wanted to turn into a corner, she was a bit surprised, leaving me confused for a moment.

"Tana, what's wrong?" I asked her.

"I–It's nothing!" she replied before she ran in a fast manner. I wonder what's wrong with her from the sudden pause. Curiosity got the best of me as I started to walk towards the corner and to _my _surprise, I saw Eirika leaning against the wall, with her hand on her chest in shock. Yabai! I think she overheard the whole conversation!

She shifted her attention to me. "Kurogasa… do you… really mean it?"

"H–How much did you hear?" I asked walking up to her.

"Everything…" Eirika said as she looked down and I stood in front of her. "…you choose me…"

"Yes, I do…" I answered.

She was silent for a bit while trying to sort things out. "I… I… I can't decide yet…" she replied to me while looking away from me.

"You already did." I said as I held her close making her look at me while blushing a bit. "I mean c'mon, all those incidents we've been through, Amber's constant teasing, seeing your jealous looks when Tana's been hitting on me, I think it's obvious that you already decided." I smiled.

"D–Do you think so?" she stuttered as our faces got closer.

"Yes. I think so…" I answered. "Ever since I came to this world, when I first met you… for some reason, I… felt something between us. It wasn't right away, but when I first saw you there was… something. I couldn't describe it, but… I knew that for some reason, you would be important to me."

"Kurogasa…" Eirika said softly.

"And now… after everything we've been through, I can finally have the courage to say this to you: I love you, Eirika…"

Her eyes widened a bit as eventually both of our lips met and our eyes closed to savor the moment. From the looks of it, she had tears running down her face as she was still nervous, but she just let it be. Come to think of it, Amber doesn't tease me that much… could this be one of the reasons? I don't know much about it, but still, I better keep my guard up from her anytime soon. After a while, our kiss broke off for a moment as she looked at me in the eyes and said, "I love you too… Kurogasa." And then we kissed again.

* * *

_Tana ran towards a palm tree where an oasis was and when she was far away from the scene she took her time to take some deep breaths before calming herself down and looked down sadly. "Kurogasa chose my friend over me… I'm not sad at all… I'm not sad…" she kept repeating to herself as Vanessa noticed her standing alone and approached her._

_"Princess Tana, is something the matter?" Vanessa asked as Tana noticed her._

_"Vanessa…" she said in a lower tone. Without a doubt, she immediately ran towards her and planted her face onto the Pegasus Knight's chest, crying. "Vanessa!"_

_"Princess…" Vanessa sighed softly, gently patting the Princess's head, as Tana continued to cry on her sister–like figure._

* * *

_Meanwhile, Valter was sitting on a stool polishing his Obsidian spear and at that point, Riev appeared in a flash of light, seeing what Valter was doing. "Valter…" Riev began. "You should stop playing around. If you don't finish off Eirika's forces swiftly… Her brother's left the capital. He should be arriving here shortly. You don't want to be fighting her still when he arrives. Trust me." Valter looked at him for a moment before turning back to his lance, continuing his cleaning. "We are equals here in Grado's army. Would you like me to assist?"_

_"All you need to do is vanish, you disgusting old man." Valter replied, putting away the cloth. "Eirika is mine. I won't let you have her." He said before standing up. "She is so strong, so beautiful… She's the prey I've dreamed of. And that Rider that cares for her… Ah, he will be a perfect appetizer before the main course…"_

_"Heh heh heh…" Riev chuckled. "Your fangs are still sharp, eh? Good. Very good. Ah, Valter… You're a beast. You're bound to no country. You care nothing for friend or foe. Kill a man, claim a woman… You live for nothing more, you wretched beast. That's your strength. That's what makes you stronger than any man alive. A beast acts without remorse. Man's morality cannot win. It's nature's way. The stage is all yours, Valter. Do no fail to get the girl's bracelet. Our master demands it…" He bowed once before vanishing in the same light._

_Valter simply shrugged, climbing onto the back of his wyvern. "The time is nigh, Eirika. And Blade, your life will end soon and I will take Eirika for myself. Hahahahahahahaha! HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"_

* * *

_Somewhere, on the other side of the desert, Caellach looked upon the vast desert after burning down the whole castle. He was impressed by the dirty work he'd done on it. It was then one of the soldiers approached him. "Commander, what will be your orders?"_

_"Huh?" Caellach asked turning around and looked at him as he had a smirk on his face. "Waiting for my orders, eh? Here's one! Get armed! We'll strike them all in a swift!"_

_"At once!" the soldier saluted before he walked away and Caellach looked back to the front while thinking about something. "I can't believe you hid something from me… well, I guess that's just the way it is! And that would make things _more_ interesting!" Caellach said with a smile before he took out his axe advanced forward, along with the rest of the troop behind him._

* * *

"EEEHH?! For real?!" Amber said in disbelief as I told her that Eirika and I accepted each other's feelings and Storm placed his hand onto my shoulder.

"Congratulations, you two." he replied with a smile as Amber looked at Eirika with her cheeky smile on her face.

"Be sure to take care of him properly. He tends to go overboard over something at times." Amber told her and at the same time, teased me.

"Oi~!" I pouted making Amber and Storm laugh. After all that, I said to Amber, "Now that I actually fessed up and that Eirika and I are together, can you please stop teasing me about it?" I asked.

"I can't! It's just too much fun doing it to you!" she smirked as I can tell she's not gonna stop teasing me any time soon.

"Honestly, Amber. You sure know how to tease both of us…" Eirika said to her before she took her hand and said something with a smile on her face. "…but if it wasn't for you, I wouldn't be able to follow my courage, and the pain I had in my heart would only get worse. So, I thank you, Amber."

"Aw~, shucks. You're making me embarrassed here, Eirika! But I guess that's what friends are for!" Amber smiled as Eirika giggled while both of them hugged tightly.

"By the way, what about your relationship with Tana?" Storm asked me.

"We're good. We're still friends." I told him.

"At least that part has been solved, huh?" Storm added as I nod.

"Oh, what's _this_ I've heard about?" Another voice said from afar and it was Melissa–sempai who came to us, the very person that I wanted to meet about my relationship with Eirika.

"Hi, sempai." I smiled. "Well, it's official. Eirika and I are together."

"Oh, really?" Melissa–sempai said happy for me as she clasped her hand and tilted her head a bit to the right with her kind smile on her face. "I'm glad it worked out very well! I'm so proud of you, Kurogasa. I'm sure you'll be a fine man one day." she said honestly; like how a mother were happy for her children. That's why I've always looked up to her as my mother–like figure.

"Arigatou, sempai." I said. And just like that, Melissa–sempai hugged both Eirika and I as we hugged her back for what she did. She always gave me good advices and helped out things that we can't handle. But, it didn't last long as I noticed Kurai and Gerik enter the fray.

"Hey, kids… we got trouble." Kurai told us as we broke our hug and returned our focus onto the battlefield.

"The soldiers are on the move. Both sides are closing into our zone." Gerik added. Seth walked towards us with important news.

"Princess Eirika, I bear the bad news. It seems like both sides are making on the move as we speak, but most of our friends are still tired after the last battle… if we continue like this, we'll–"

"No… it's all right." Eirika spoke. "We're _all_ suffering… We're still completely surrounded by Grado's armies… We may _all_ die at any moment…" she told him before she grabbed my hand tightly and I replied back by holding hers as she looked at him full of determination. "But I can't lose focus now! Has anything changed?" she asked him.

"No change." Seth reported. "On every front, our forces meet with problems. Rausten's Knights finished a small group and returned to aid us, but the enemy has countered and is delaying them. They cannot arrive for hours. And this accursed sand… Most of us can't get proper footing and are being slowed down. Those with horses are having the worst of it. Princess Eirika… I ask that you leave for safety. We can use our fliers and mages to hold them here."

"No. I will not retreat!" she made her point as her grip on my hand got stronger. "If I give up now… My brother would not forgive me. I'm the princess of Renais. I will fight, either to victory or to death. Brother, I…"

"Yeah, you better not forget about us as well!" Amber intervened as she looks at him with a smile. "As long as there's a way to defeat them, if we put our brains and effort into it, _anything_ is possible!"

"She's right. I mean, c'mon… with the powers of Riders on our side, I doubt that we can't think of something good!" Storm assured him as he stood by my side before putting an arm around my shoulder. "And besides, I still want to do a little payback to that Valter for what he did to my best friend here!"

"That's right! And now I have the confidence to beat Valter! Whatever he did to me now, I'm paying him back in spades! No pun intended." I added.

Seeing that we're determined to fight, Seth had that small smile on his face before he nodded in agreement. "Very well. I shall inform this to the rest of the troop. What will be your orders?"

"Well, since Valter leads the group of Wyvern Riders and Pegasus Knights along with him, we should bring along our long range users and all of the magicians and riders we have in our group. Eirika, Storm, and I will also join in for Anti–Valter group as well…" I told him which Amber had a smile on her face.

"Alrighty! I'll go tell them!" Amber said before she ran back onto the main group. Melissa–sempai knew what I was going to say.

"I guess we should head to the west to stop their casters with our swords and staffs, ne? I'll tell them." Melissa–sempai smiled before she walked off to other side and Seth, Kurai, and Gerik followed suit.

"Well, I might as well be prepared for the worst as well." Storm added before he went back to where Amber ran to.

"Do you think…we can do this, Kurogasa?" Eirika asked me while still holding onto my hand.

"I _know_ we can." I said as I kissed her to which she returned before pulling back. "Because you're here with me, and I'm here with you."

"That's right." she said while looking forward. "I'm counting on you…"

* * *

_And so, it was decided to break into two teams: the Anti–Valter Group and Anti–Caellach Group. Most of us had to ditch our horses for easy mobility and at least it doesn't get any worse than this, right? "Oh yeah, I remembered something… it should be around this time where mini sandstorms are picking up… we should be careful for that…" Joshua pointed out._

_"Noted." Kurai said as he, Mikoto, and Melissa put in their ace cards._

_"Henshin!"_

**OPEN UP**

**CHANGE**

_Three holograms conjured out from their belts and the three walked towards the hologram, making them don in their armor. At this point, they noticed a group of mages, shamans, and even a few summoners cast their spells for the incoming attack on them. "Knights of Renais, onward!" Seth shouted out loud before he ran forward onto the sandy road, along with Gilliam, Franz, Forde and Kyle charging forward, followed by Colm, Garcia, Ross, Gerik, Marisa, Dolza and Rennac to join in, being led by Joshua who held Natasha's hand. When the gaps are closed in, they tend to avoid it to the side as sparks of dark element attack and thunder came crashing down at them. Chalice, for one, is not a happy camper._

_"What an eyesore…" Chalice muttered before rousing a card._

**REFLECT**

_The hologram of Reflect Moth entered his armor then spun his Chalice Arrow in a circular motion like a dual–ended blade and kept spinning it around until he created a large energy shield and blocked the thunder and dark element attacks. And as the name suggested, the shots that was hitting him were reflected back to the casters, causing them to avoid their own attacks. "Fight fire with fire." he muttered._

_"And we're closing in the gap now…" Seth informed Leangle took out her card and roused it onto her Rouzer._

**RUSH**

_In an instant, the Rush Rhinoceros entered her armor, causing her to be able to run at very fast, leading the group with her staff in hand. "Wow, she sure is in a rush… no pun intended…" Chalice muttered. Leangle ran towards the mages and shamans and as she ran, every time she tackled a mage or shaman, they were sent flying left or right._

_"Ooooooh… I wanna do that too!" Glaive chirped before she took out a card from her deck and roused it onto her Rouzer._

**TRIAL... C**

_In an instant, her whole armor glowed radiantly before it eventually dimmed down and she's in her Trial Form. Activating her Speedster, she dashed towards the unprepared shamans and mages that were tackled down earlier with her Rouzer, taking them out with an 'A' slash on each of them and as time ran out, she was only able to do half of them due to the sandy place with improper footing. "Aw~! I can't finish them all in time!" Glaive complained as Leangle also reached at the end of the line before noticed two long lines of soldiers were waiting for them as well._

_"Don't worry too much. We can still take them down…" Chalice reminded her as Colm, Marisa, Rennac and Ross were quick on their feet, taking care of the remaining mages and shamans that weren't part of Glaive's onslaught while the knights and Garcia continued to press onward with their spears, swords and axes in hand, with the three Riders leading the front. Joshua continued to protect Natasha with his new sword that was given from his late mother, gripping it tightly before he slashed down some of the soldiers._

_"Take this!" Joshua yelled as he suddenly became a blur to the soldiers and sliced them very fast, giving the soldiers no time to react before blood spewed from them and they fell to the ground, dead. Natasha was a bit surprised from his sudden speed despite on the sandy ground until she noticed a javelin heading towards her direction. She reacted, too late to notice it but Leangle was able to push her aside leaving the javelin stabbed onto the ground and Natasha was saved from harm._

_"Natasha, you should stay focused on your surroundings…" Leangle told her._

_"Natasha!" Joshua shouted as he rushed towards her side before Leangle stood up and blocked one of the enemies' spears onto her with her Rouzer. "Are you alright?!"_

_"I'm fine, Joshua… Melissa saved me from that javelin…" Natasha assured her before she was surprised from his sudden hug._

_"Thank goodness for that… I don't want to lose someone important to me again…" he told her, making Natasha slightly blush from his comment._

_"Joshua…" she said before Joshua broke the hug and pulled her up back to her feet. When he turned around, he spotted a certain character walking towards his direction and that person was happy to see him again as he spreads his arms wide open, as if he wanted to hug him._

_"Hey–ey! Joshua! Long time no see!"_

_"Caellach…" Joshua got out._

_"It's been a long time. Have you been well?" he asked him with his smirk._

_"I've been all right." he replied as Natasha was confused._

_"You know of him, Joshua?" she asked._

_"Yeah, the last time we met was two years ago…" Joshua said before he looked back at him. "Still working as a mercenary, huh? When did you get all proper and join the Grado army?"_

_"Didn't I tell you? I wasn't about to waste my life as a nameless soldier!" he told him with a big laugh. "Still, I think back on those days a lot lately… My axe and your sword… The two of us were a deadly pair, eh?"_

_"Yeah, we were. You'd get carried away and pick fights with me… You always said the same thing: "I will be king!"" Joshua replied as Caellach laughed back about the comment._

_"Yeah. That's my dream. And I'll do _anything_ to make it come true!" he replied back._

_"You know, that innkeeper's still mad you stiffed him." he reminded him as Caellach snickered._

_"Oh, please… You're telling me that old dog's still alive?" Caellach said to him as he wasn't surprised from it as Joshua just shrugged his shoulders. "What do you say, Joshua? Let's team up again? Leave those losers you're with and work for me."_

_"Sorry, can't do it. I'm not going to let you use me for anything. And besides, I have someone important to me now…" Joshua added as he took a glance at Natasha with his smile, making her reply back to him with a smile of her own._

_"Bah… You're a cold fish, aren't you? That's the one thing that hasn't changed about you. And you got yourself a nice lass, no less!" Caellach said impressed._

_"You haven't changed much either. You're still as shameless as ever." Joshua countered back with his own words as well, making Caellach laugh again._

_"That's the truth!" he told him. It was then he got straight to the point. "By the way… I know all about you, Joshua. Who you _really_ are I mean." he said while crossing his arms. "The prince of Jehanna, huh? When did you plan on sharing the wealth _and_ your girl no less, you sneaky dog?"_

_"Listen… You can't reduce a nation to loot waiting to be divided and I won't let you have her since she's mine!" he told her, causing Natasha to have a slight blush on her face once again. "And more importantly, I made a vow to my mother. I'm going to succeed her as ruler of my homeland, alongside with Natasha!"_

_"Joshua…" Natasha smiled as she was really touched by his charms._

_"Hey Caellach… You're the one who killed my mother, aren't you?"_

_"Yeah… Sorry 'bout that." Caellach said rubbing his head in embarrassment. "Things happen, you know?" he said as Joshua gripped his sword tightly. "C'mon, Joshua, don't hate me. This is war. There's nothing you can do about it. Besides, grudges get in the way of work, right?" he asked him._

_"Yes. I suppose." Joshua shrugged before turning to Natasha. "Natasha, please move out of the way. Things are going to get nasty. Stay with Melissa. I promise to come back to you." Natasha looked at him worried, but nodded and moved out of the way going to Melissa before Joshua turned back to Caellach and took a stance with Audhulma. "Listen, Caellach, I've got to kill you now. Don't hold it against me."_

_Caellach was annoyed from Joshua's smirk as he pulled out his Battle Axe from his back, getting into a stance as well. "You arrogant… You haven't changed a bit! I've always wanted to show you who's better, Joshua. And I'm even stronger than I used to be. I'm gonna wipe that smug look off your face for good!"_

_"Well then, try me." Joshua told him as both men ran towards the middle, and both weapons clashed with each other, creating sparks._

* * *

**SPINNING DANCE**

_"Let's see who'll be taking away a one–way trip back to butt–kicking Land!" Chalice declared starting to spin rapidly before he dived down for the kick onto a line of soldiers. He crushed his way through them before he landed safely onto the ground, stabbing his Arrow onto one of them. "That takes care of that…"_

**BLIZZARD GALE**

_"I've warned you all, but you neglected it…" Leangle said sadly as she thrusted her hands forward, letting out a blizzard from her hands, freezing the soldiers who were aiming at her on the spot. Garcia and Dolza threw their hand axes on them, shattering their frozen body into pieces. When Leangle turned around, she noticed Natasha heading towards her direction. "Natasha, why are you here? Shouldn't you be with Joshua?"_

_"He's fighting Caellach. Joshua wanted me out of harm's way." Natasha told her._

_"Oh, he's such a caring person…" Leangle told her before she put her defense up, trying to block another sword–wielding soldier. She pushed him off before stabbing her Rouzer and opened up the clove, creating more damage before pulling it out, killing the soldier in an instant. It was then she noticed a few more lance wielders heading towards her direction. "My, my… they sure are quite persistent…" she commented as she took out her Rouze Absorber and attached it to her arm._

_"W–Wait, Melissa! Are you going to use it again? You might end up losing conscious like last time!" Natasha warned her as she was worried._

_"Don't worry, I'll be fine." Leangle assured her as she put in her card._

**ABSORB QUEEN**

_She then took out her King card. "Okay then Tarantula, let's do this together!" She said smiling at the card before she swiped it across the reader._

**EVOLUTION KING**

* * *

**BGM: Chaos Legion – Solemn Voice (Stage ~Cathedral Gallery~)**

_At that point a green plaque covered her Queen card. It had a gold Suit of Club on it with the Tarantula symbol on it and in that symbol was a small purple gem of a Suit of Club._

_The Tarantula Undead's hologram appeared right in front of her. It gave her a nod before it turned itself onto a rectangular hologram with the insignia of Tarantula before slowly making its way towards her. As she passed through it, Natasha was really surprised to see her friend's newest transformation. On her helmet, the spider motif's helmet was replaced completely with the Tarantula's motif on it, making it as if her helmet was also wearing a crown on top and purple eyes on her helmet. On the upper part of her armor, she was now donned in golden armor with wide shoulder pads on each side, with golden bracers in gold; all with the club motif on it and the Tarantula insignia rested on her chest armor. Even her buckle is also now in gold color instead of green. She is also donned with a black cape on her back. On her lower part of her armor, she had a lot more black padding with golden lines and golden club motif on her thigh protectors and greaves, wearing a golden boot to finish it off. In her arm, she no longer held the Leangle Rouzer that she always used. Instead, she had her golden King Rouzer in a shape of a halberd. _

_She had become Kamen Rider Leangle – King Form._

_"Melissa… what majestic armor you wear…" she complimented._

_"Yes. I'm surprised myself." Leangle said impressed, then turned to a group of soldiers and were suddenly afraid. "And I think it's time they learned a lesson." Leangle took out five cards. The cards themselves were gold like Blade's cards when in King Form and the pictures of the animals on the cards were more refined and beautiful. She then placed the five cards into her King Rouzer._

**CLUB TEN**

**CLUB JACK**

**CLUB QUEEN**

**CLUB KING**

**CLUB ACE**

_"Well now, shall we end this?" Leangle said to them as the holograms of the refined Remote Tapir, Fusion Elephant, Absorb Tiger, Evolution Tarantula, and Change Spider appeared in front of her, before the Rouzer declared the finishing move._

**ROYAL STRAIGHT FLUSH**

_She made a run forward, slashing the enemy away with her Rouzer with each passing. When she got to the end of it, her Rouzer glowed radiantly as she thrusted it forward, stabbing it onto one of the enemy's sages before pulling it back and all of the enemies that got caught in her line of fire exploded within seconds after that. "Melissa… that was amazing…" Natasha was surprised. _

_At that time, Chalice saw her King Form and he was impressed about her Royal Straight Flush she inflicted onto her enemy. It was then he began to have the same idea._ _"I think it's time to do mine as well." Chalice said as he took the Rouzer off his Arrow and placed it on his belt. He took out his King card and roused it on his belt._

**EVOLUTION**

_All of the cards ejected from his side deck before surrounded him and entered into his armor, donning him in his new armor. His whole armor changed completely as he is now in crimson red armor with golden lines that resembled crackles of lighting. On his red helmet, he had a longer gold antennae and green heart shaped visor. On his upper part of his armor, he was donned in black armor and wide shoulder pads, all in gold lines as the Paradoxa insignia rested at the middle of his plate armor in green color at the shape of a suit of heart. He had silver bracers on his arms, greaves, and at the end of his boot. On his right side, a pair of Wild Slashers rested on its sheath while on his other side his side deck was now donned in silver. _

_He had become Kamen Rider Wild Chalice._

_He was still holding his Chalice Arrow in hand as he noticed some mages casting an inferno towards his direction. "No you don't!" Chalice said as he took his Wild Slashers, put them together and placed them on the Rouzer, he then took out a card and roused it._

**WILD**

_With the declaration, the tip of his Wild Slasher glowed radiantly as he slowly pulled back. Taking aim with an arrow, the power increased dramatically before both sides unleashed their true shots. Much to the mages' surprise, his Wild Cyclone consisted of high intensity laser firing at a wide range as it blasted through their attacks and diminished them all in an instant. Chalice took a breather after that._

_Dolza looks upon Wild Chalice and laughed. "Gwah ha ha! That was some move you did there, strange warrior! By the way, where's Kurai anyways?" Dolza asked him, clueless about the fact that Wild Chalice and Chalice are one and the same, much to Chalice's horror._

_"You idiot! _I'M_ Kurai! I'm just in a new form!" Chalice snapped._

_"Gwah ha ha! I'm just kidding with ya', lad!" Dolza teased him happily as Chalice twitched his eyes in annoyance behind his mask. It was then he shifted his focus back onto the field as he ran towards the soldiers, helping Seth and his group face off some of them._

**End BGM**

* * *

_Back to the battle between Caellach and Joshua, they were still at it as both sword and axe continued to clash one another until both of them leaped back to take some breather. "You've improved a _lot_ over the last two years, Joshua! I'm impressed!" he commented as Joshua remained silent. "You know, every king needs a queen. Once I get rid of you, I might as well take away that lovely woman of yours and claim her as mine! What do you think?" he asked him with a smirk on his face._

_"I won't let you lay a finger on her!" Joshua yelled._

_"If you want her _that_ badly, I suggest you be prepared for my incoming strongest attack!" Caellach declared before he threw his axe into the air. He then made a somersault towards it, grabbing it, and crashing his axe down towards Joshua._

_"I should say the same thing to you as well…" Joshua announced to him before he took his stance. At this point, Joshua made a sword dance as he created 5 mirages of himself with the assistance of Audhulma, each with different poses before he immediately delivers his 5–strikes on the diving Caellach. The first attack of Joshua pushed Caellach to the back, the second one forced Caellach to take a few steps back, the third one disarmed his axe from his hands, the fourth one cuts off the armor on Caellach and the last one, he himself stabbed the sword deeply and through him, which made Caellach cough out blood._

_"Bla–Blast… A bit more, and… a crown… would have been… mine…" he muttered while gritting his teeth in pain as Joshua didn't budge from where he stood, his grip remaining on his sword._

_"This is for my mother…" Joshua muttered before he yanked his sword out rather hard before Caellach fell to the sandy ground. Joshua flicked the blood off his sword clean before sheathing it back. _

_One of the soldiers noticed Caellach's defeat as they can think of one thing they knew. "The commander has fallen! Retreat!"_

_"Let no one escape!" Kyle shouted as he and the rest of the knights took advantage of this._

_It was then Natasha noticed Joshua heading towards her direction before she ran to him and hugged tightly on him as Melissa canceled out her transformation and looked at them with a smile on her face. "Joshua, you're alright!"_

_"Of _course_ I am." Joshua smiled._

_"I was so worried about you… if you died, t–then…" Natasha stuttered as she looked down and feared if he was killed. Joshua assured her by making her look at his smile before he closed in and kissed her, much to her surprise. Natasha was surprised at first but eventually, she loosened up as she wrapped her arms around him and returned the kiss._

_Kurai approached Melissa as both of them looked at the couple. "Seems like our job here is done for now…"_

_"Yes… I guess… so…" Melissa said wobbling for a bit before she fell onto Kurai's arms, unconscious due to the fact she used up her energy to wield its powers alone and her lack of stamina to hold onto it, unlike Kurai._

_After Natasha and Joshua broke the kiss, she looked at Melissa's direction and she was shocked. "Melissa!"_

_"She's fine. Just unconscious…" Kurai muttered._

_"Really?" Natasha asked while Kurai held Melissa bridal style. Natasha noticed a soft sound of a person asleep, and it was heard from Melissa, making her let out a sigh of relief. "Thank goodness…"_

_"She's really pushing beyond her limits… I guess that's what makes her special in _my_ view…" Kurai said with a smile on his face while looking at the sleeping Melissa, having a smile of her own._

_At this time, Rennac looked around for a bit after taking some of the valuables he can find amongst the corpses of mages, which he found blue and red gem on them. "Have anyone seen Colm?"_

_"He said something about going to Kurogasa's group…" Franz pointed out._

_"Oh… never mind…" Rennac said before he continued to scavenge for more valuables on them._

* * *

The Anti–Valter team marched on, and boy this sand is getting really annoying. Like I said; where are the camels when you need them?! "I spy something… flying!" Lance said as he still got time to joke around when we spotted the enemies' flying units in the air. At this point, Vanessa, Tana, Cormag and Glen flew towards their direction as L'Arachel was riding behind Vanessa and Father Moulder on Cormag's wyvern.

"Wa~~h! Can't you slow down this horse?!" L'Arachel complained as the four of us Rider sweat dropped.

"Why in the world would she ride on a Pegasus?" Larc asked herself.

"More importantly, why did she get on it in the _first_ place?" Garren asked.

"Why in the world would she plan it? Just to get some sands off from her shoes or something?" Lance added.

"I have a feeling that's why." I answered.

"Well, in any case, we might as well press forward…" Eirika pointed out as we continued to walk forward. Neimi and Innes then spotted something from afar.

"L–look! Over there!" Neimi pointed out.

"Isn't that a sandstorm heading towards our direction?" Innes asked.

"A sandstorm?" I asked as I looked where they pointed out. Joshua didn't tell me about incoming sandstorms at all… this is just too good to be true.

"But it's not a serious one. It looks enough to distract our view, that's all…" Innes told us.

"I guess we should make it snappy then!' Larc decided before she roused a card onto her Rouzer.

**TRIAL… A**

In an instant, she was now donned in her Trial Form, spreading her butterfly wings open before fluttering towards the sky, aiming her Rouzer onto the enemies' side and started to pull her trigger.

"I bet if we can get passed through these mountains of sands, we should be able to get closer to our target." Lance pointed out as Innes and Neimi took aim and managed to take down another Wyvern as Tana stabbed her javelin onto the enemy, putting both of them out of their misery.

"But the enemies might have anticipated our arrival…" Artur pointed out.

"Don't worry, we can take them." I assured Artur. I attached my Rouze Absorber on my arm and took out the two cards I needed.

**ABSORB QUEEN**

**FUSION JACK**

The Eagle Plaque covered the Queen card and I was now in Jack Form. "Garren, let's take this to skies!"

"Ah! Right!" Garren said as he took out his Rouze Absorber and took out his two cards.

**ABSORB QUEEN**

**FUSION JACK**

The Peacock Plaque covered his Queen card and was now in Jack as he took the skies with me.

"Hm… at least we mages won't be affected much by these mini sandstorms…" Lute analyzed.

"Really?!" Ewan asked.

"Yes. As we know the levitation spell, hence the reason why we could get there fast…" Saleh told his student as Eirika looked upward and can't help but be worried about me.

"Don't worry, princess. I know my buddy very well and he'll be alright with the others aiding him…" Lance assured her before she nodded and both of them walked to the front. Neimi and Innes also followed suit.

* * *

_"That building beyond the dunes is Jehanna Hall." Ephraim declared as he arrived, along with a great knight and a shaman. "I expect that's where we'll find Eirika and her companions. It's time we rescued Eirika. I'll need all your strength." He said._

_"Of course, Your Highness." The knight with the heaviest armor replied, nodding once. "I've pledged my service and my axe. You shall have both."_

_"Princess Eirika…" The hooded man began. "She's a friend of Prince Lyon, isn't she? I'll do what I can to help you. I feel that is what Prince Lyon would want."_

_"Thank you, Duessel, Knoll." The Prince said, smiling. "The enemy's numbers are great, but we do not need to face them alone." Ephraim began. "We must move quickly to join forces with Eirika and her company. I'm sure Seth, Innes and the Riders will be there waiting for us. Let's move!"_

* * *

_As Neimi took her aim onto one of the enemies' Wyvern Riders, all of the sudden, she caught sand in her eyes, making her miss the shot on the Wyvern, but it hits directly onto the Wyvern Rider. Colm heard from afar of Neimi's cry as he scrambled to her side, feeling worried for her. "Neimi! What's wrong?"_

_"Colm…" she sniffled as her eyes were still closed but she still recognized his voice._

_"What's wrong? Did someone attack you? Are you hurt?" he panicked._

_"No…"_

_"Did someone say something mean to you? Did someone steal your mirror again?" he asked her again._

_"That's not it…" she replied back._

_"If not all_ that_, then what _is_ it?"_

_"I j–just… have something in my eye…" she told him as she rubbed her eyes with her napkin, much to his surprise._

_"What?!" he asked shocked as Neimi managed to clear the sand out from her eyes before she lets out a sigh of relief._

_"Whew! It's gone now." she said with a smile as Colm placed both of his hands on her shoulder, shaking her for a bit._

_"I thought you were hurt!" he told her, which made her look sad._

_"Colm…"_

_"What's the matter _now_?!" he said furiously._

_"Uh…" she got out startled for a bit. "I'm sorry for alarming you… But… I'm happy that– I mean– Thank you for caring for me…" she replied back with a slight blush as she looks down, causing Colm to look away with a blush of his own._

_"No need to get all mushy about it. You shouldn't cry so much." he told her._

_"I know. The other day, when I was in battle, I was remembering all the times you helped me when we were little." she told him. "Like that time I fell into the river and you came and rescued me. Or the time I broke Grandpa's bow. You helped me fix it. And all the times bullies picked on me, you defended me." she told him, which he could only scratched the back of his head in disbelief._

_"Seriously, Neimi. You've always been such a crybaby." Colm told her, which made her giggle._

_"Yes, but… _because_ you were there with me, I was never sad…" she said to him as she held his hands. "When Grandpa died, you were by my side the whole time, holding my hand… just like this…"_

_"Neimi…" Colm said softly as his pent up rage was gone in an instant and replaced with care for her._

_"Thank you, Colm. For then and now… I like you a lot…" she told him before she remembered something as she shook her head lightly before looking at him in the eyes. "No… I _love_ you a lot…"_

_"Neimi…" he got out blushing as they still held hands together and looked at her in the eyes. "If anything is troubling you, come see me first, all right? I'll take care of anyone who makes you cry."_

_"I will…" she replied back with a nod and a smile._

_"I think your haplessness is permanent." he told her before he pulled her towards him for a hug, surprising her for a bit. "But don't worry; I'll take care of you."_

_"Oh… Colm…" she stuttered before she cried again, much to his dismay as he panicked again._

_"Oh, no. I made you cry again, didn't I…" he said as Neimi continued to cry on his shoulder._

_"Yes… But for different reasons this time." she told him, which made him sigh in relief._

_"That's better…" he said to her as he wrapped around his arm onto her, calming her down. "Neimi… I'm the only one who can make you cry. For now and ever, got that?"_

_"All right…" she replied back as she wipes her tears and looked at him with her smile before Colm stepped forward._

_"C'mon… we got a war to settle before we can settle…" Colm expressed to her, which made her more determined than ever._

_"Yes, Colm!"_

* * *

I was still able to slash out some of the Wyvern Riders off from their wyverns and when I turned around, I noticed Tana finished off an enemy with her lance but she didn't see another one approaching her from behind. "Tana! Watch out!" I called as I went to intercept another Wyvern Rider while rousing two cards.

**SLASH**

**THUNDER**

The holograms of Slash Lizard and Thunder Deer entered my armor.

**LIGHTNING SLASH**

She was surprised from my sudden shout, and it startled her Pegasus as I managed to cut down the Wyvern Rider with my electrified blade. After saving her from it, she turned around and put up her usual smile on my face to me before saying anything. "Thanks for protecting my back! I didn't know that'll happen!" she replied.

"No prob." I said before flying off. I continued to slash down at any Wyvern Rider coming my way and… what's that down there? Wait a minute, that's– that's Prince Ephraim! Oh things are gonna be better now! I then flew towards him and his group. "Prince Ephraim!" I called out. The Prince of Renais noticed me from afar as I landed right in front of him but both men behind him were suddenly on guard due to unfamiliarity.

"What kind of warrior _are_ you? I've never _seen_ such a thing before!" the knight spoke.

"Is he a threat?" the shaman replied as Ephraim turned around and cleared up the air.

"Peace, both of you! Duessel, Knoll. It's alright; he's on our side, despite his appearance." Ephraim told them.

I then canceled my transformation back to civilian mode surprising the great knight and shaman. "Boy am I glad to see you!" I said patting Ephraim on the shoulder.

"Same goes for you, Kurogasa." he replied back with a smile. I then noticed that Myrrh was with them too.

"Hi Myrrh!" I greeted.

"H–Hello, Kurogasa…" she said shyly before she hid behind him, which made him shake his head lightly with a smile due to her shyness.

"If the Prince said he's no trouble, then, I believe him…" Duessel said before he puts away his axe.

"Correct. That person has no ill intentions…" the shaman replied back.

"Tell me, have you served my sister well from trouble, my friend?" he asked me.

"Yes, I've kept her safe and sound and… it's _because_ of that, that… well… we're together now." I smiled.

"I beg your pardon?" Ephraim asked confused as he didn't understand the last part of my story blinking a few times. I then whispered something in his ear and his eyes widened at what I said. "Oh, is that so?" he replied back as I nodded with a smile. I noticed that he _also_ carved a smile on his face. "I guess I should be happy for her since she's in good hands…" he added.

"My Prince, we should go and head out towards the battlefield right now. Your Highness might be in trouble as well…" the great knight told him.

"Yes, I sense dark energy nearby… one with malicious intention…" Myrrh replied to him before he nodded.

"Of course, Duessel, Myrrh. Come now, Knoll and Kurogasa. We should go and reunite with my sister again!" he replied as he held his spear on his hand tightly.

"Right." I said then put in my ace again in my buckle. "Henshin!"

**TURN UP**

With a hologram projected out from the belt, it went through me, making me don in my armor, as both Duessel and Knoll were surprised from this transformation.

"What kind of sorcery _is_ that?" Knoll asked in surprise.

"I've never _seen_ such a thing before!" Duessel added.

"It's not sorcery… my father told me he's one of the legendary Riders…" Myrrh told them, which they were surprised to hear that from her.

"Both of you, this is Kamen Rider Blade. He and six others of his friends are my sister's escort." He then shifted his attention forward. "As long as we follow on this green grass, we should be able to reach towards our enemies' position, but we have to be careful, there's a mini sandstorm heading towards the direction we're heading as well. So, be prepared for the worst!" Ephraim called before the four of us departed to our target.

* * *

**BULLET**

**RAPID**

**FIRE**

_"Eat fireballs!" Garren shouted._

**BURNING SHOT**

_"And flaming arrows!" Larc shouted at the sky before she also roused a card._

**MIGHTY**

_Both of them took aim before unleashing a few shots of fireballs on the enemy, hitting their wyverns and Pegasus' repeatedly, leaving burn marks on them. On one part, L'Arachel even hit one enemy off his Wyvern using her staff, hitting him onto his face before he fell down to his demise as Vanessa threw her javelin onto the wyvern, killing it in an instant before she pulled the chain and grabbed it back. "This is _much_ more fun than I thought! I've never thought of using my staff as a _weapon_ than healing people!" L'Arachel said impressed, leaving Garren to sweat drop. _

_"Ano… I've never heard of a troubadour hitting their enemies with their healing staff before…" Garren added._

_"Well _now_ you do!" L'Arachel chirped._

_"Now I see what big bro is telling me about her…" he said as he remembered Kurai telling him about her self–righteousness before both of them continued to move forward._

* * *

_"Elfire!" Saleh shouted as he casted an inferno, burning the enemy's flying unit into toast before it dropped down to the ground._

_"Oh, wow, teacher! That's amazing!" Ewan said impressed._

_"Ewan! You should focus on your enemies!" Tethys told her little brother._

* * *

_Meanwhile, Lute, Artur and Innes unleashed their attacks on them, killing some of the Grado's soldiers as Neimi and Colm assisted them too. With the front line being taken care of, both Lance and Eirika met up with the evil Valter as he had a sinister grin on his face looking upon the princess after he mounted off his Wyvern. "Ah, Eirika, at last we meet again." Valter grinned evilly._

_"Valter…" Eirika growled as Lance got in front of her._

_"You ain't getting neat her." Lance said. "I promised my buddy to protect her with my life if he's not around."_

_"Ah~ the pathetic weakling that I've attacked to humiliation… and what's this? There's no Blade to protect her? What a shame!" Valter laughed as Lance pointed his Rouzer to him._

_"I'm not gonna let you insult my buddy like that!" Lance shouted at him as Valter just shrugged and looked upon Eirika._

_"My dear Eirika, soon, I will make you remember the face of he who will master you and be my bride for my lust!" Valter declared._

_"I am here on a mission. One that I swore to my brother and Kurogasa I would fulfill. I will not be stopped by the likes of you!" Eirika snapped._

_Valter laughed as he still looked at her with an evil desire. "Yes, resist. It's much more fun for me that way. With your strong will and strength, I will crumble it down right before you! Come, Eirika. I should like to tame you!" Valter declared before he made a mad dash towards her direction. Lance intervened and parried the attack with his Rouzer. "And you're just a stepping stone to achieve from what I want!"_

_"And you're just another eyesore to get rid of it!" Lance declared before he pushed him back. It was then he noticed some of his soldiers were falling down to the ground as he just scoffed._

* * *

**BGM: Chaos Legion OST : Choir of Curse Boss BGM –Type 1–**

_"I've no use for these bloodless minnows… Give me prey that will sate my bloodlust… I hunger!" he shouted before he swung his Obsidian on him, as both of them clashed their lances in hand._

_"And I'm gonna make you regret it!" Lance countered before the two began their intense battle._

_Valter made a diagonal slash on him, which he blocked and tried to deliver an upper slash. Noticing the incoming attack, he kicked it aside before letting out a slash on Lance's back, causing him to stumble a bit to the front before Valter delivered another slash onto his armor. Feeling unsatisfied, he lets down a cross slash on Lance, causing him to land on the ground as Valter looked at the Rider with his sinister smile. "What's the matter? Where did your confidence go? You said you would make me regret it…" Valter taunted as Lance slowly got back on his feet._

_"I _am_… It's just _taking_ a while, that's all!" Lance said before rousing his card._

**TRIAL… B**

_The moment he roused the card, his armor become bulky, equipped with rather large bracers on his arms as he now assumed his Trial Form. "Oh? What's this? A new power?" Valter said interested as Lance stabbed his Rouzer onto the sand._

_"Yeah, one that will put you to shame!" Lance declared before he stepped forward, preparing his fist to punch the lights out of Valter as he managed to parry Lance's incoming punch onto his Obsidian. The shockwave from the attack alone was enough to make Valter skid back._

_"Such power… this is what I thirst for!" he declared before Valter made his advance onto Lance as he unleashed a few slashes onto Lance's large bracers. Lance was able to keep up with Valter's current speed as both men tried to attack and defend back and forth, creating sparks from Lance's bracers. He immediately delivered a back hand attack, to put his Obsidian aside before delivering a straight punch onto Valter's chest, causing him tumble around a few times. Lance took his stance back as the effect of Trial B began to take its toll as Valter slowly pushed himself up and a sinister grin on his face, _clearly _enjoying the battle so far. "Yes, give me more! MORE! MORE!" he rejoiced before he made a mad dash onto the weary Lance. Much to his surprise, the speed of Valter was different from before as he couldn't keep up blocking all of the stabs and slashes coming from Valter taking some damage from him. Eventually, Valter created an opening by forcing Lance's arms to spread wide open before he made a violent downward slash and kicking him roughly onto his chest, causing him to stumble back a few times before Valter finished it off with a strong stab onto his armor, creating sparks on it. Lance rolled back to Eirika's side and his transformation canceled off._

**End BGM**

* * *

_Valter laughed after seeing Storm have bruises on his face and chest. Due to Trial B's effect, it has weakened his stamina for using it for too long. "What's the matter, Rider? Can't you keep up with my speed? I was just about to have fun of my own!"_

_"Storm!" Eirika cried out._

* * *

Ephraim, Duessel, Knoll, Myrrh, and I were on our way towards the battle. I just hope I can get to Eirika in time. From afar, we heard clashes of weapons and when we found the source of it, it turns out it was Lance fending off against Valter. He seemed to have an advantage but due to Valter's madness and intense speed, it eventually overwhelmed him, causing Lance to undo his transformation and now he's groaning in pain as Eirika cried out to him. "Kurogasa, your friend is in trouble!" Ephraim told me.

"Storm!" I cried out as I had my Rouse Absorber on took out my two cards.

**ABSORB QUEEN**

**FUSION JACK**

I soon turned into Jack Form and flew towards the battle. I then roused a card to go faster.

**MACH**

The hologram of Mach Jaguar appeared and went into my armor before I went very fast.

"Time for you to die!" Valter declared before he lifted his lance high before–

*CLASH!*

Valter didn't expect my sudden appearance as I parried the blow for Storm with my Rouzer before pushing him back to leave some space between us. "So, you're finally here, Blade!"

"Kurogasa!" Eirika cried out as I turned around and checked up on Storm's condition. "He was taking damage just to protect me from that fiend…" she told me as I noticed he lost consciousness due to his Trial Form and I noticed his Lance Rouzer was a few feet away from him, standing tall.

"Don't worry, I'm here. Just leave it to me. Ephraim should be here soon." I told him.

"What?" Eirika gasped.

"Eirika!" Ephraim shouted out.

She looked to the source of the voice and she and Valter were surprised to see her brother again. "Brother? Is that _really_ you? You're not some phantom, are you?" she asked him as she was about to get teary.

"No, it's really me." he assured her before she hugged him tightly as the rest of his group came by and stood near her.

"Princess Eirika, it's nice to see you again, despite the circumstances…" Duessel introduced.

"General Duessel…" Eirika acknowledged.

"General Duessel, Knoll, you go assist on the battlefield. Myrrh, take care of this wounded man for now." Ephraim told Myrrh.

"What are _you_ going to do, Ephraim?" Myrrh asked as he stepped forward and stood by my side.

"I'm going to assist my friend to beat Valter and his stupid dreams of his!" Ephraim declared.

"Hahaha, so the foolish Prince Ephraim is here too!" Valter laughed. "You've escaped me once but this time there is _no_ escape!"

"Escape? I'm not going _anywhere_. I came here for _you_. I came to _defeat_ you!" Ephraim stood his ground as Valter laughed again.

"What's this? A scurrying little mouse that roars like a lion? Are you saying _this_ time will be different than the last? Will you finally provide me with some entertainment, along with that shiny friend of yours, hm? You might as well hand your sister to me before I make your life full of misery!"

"Not only will we provide you entertainment, we'll do _far_ more than that. We'll provide you with a messy end to your sorry life. Right, Kurogasa?"

"That's right! And I'm not gonna let you get Eirika! I was fool to charge into you head on, but now my mind is clear and thanks to Eirika, I now have the confidence to beat you!"

"Kurogasa…" Eirika said touched by my determination as Valter got into his stance.

"Well now, shall we get going? I have a Princess to take to my side." Valter said.

"Not if we can help it!" Ephraim and I shouted as we charged at Valter.

And with that, both sides battled down the middle. Valter parried one of Ephraim's assaults by parrying it downward before immediately slashing upwards to stop my attack as well. Ephraim took advantage of this as he thrusted his lance onto him, but only to get a scrape on Valter's armor due to Valter's agility and speed before Valter decided to push me back and swing his Obsidian onto Ephraim, as he parried to the side. When I tried to slash down onto Valter, he played smart by taking a leap back but Ephraim quickly dashed forward and tried to land a diagonal slash on him, which he missed. Both Ephraim and I are in synchronization as we managed to even up the odds with the mad Valter. When Valter tripped him down and tried to stab Ephraim for the kill, I immediately intervened and tackled Valter's side before delivering an upward slash onto his chest armor, causing Valter to stumble back a few times.

"Thanks." Ephraim thanked me.

"No prob." I said. I can't let Valter have time to rest. "See how you like this!" I shouted rousing two cards.

**SLASH**

**THUNDER**

The holograms entered my Rouzer.

**LIGHTNING SLASH**

"Hah, do you remember the _last_ time you tried to use that move on me? You ended up getting stabbed on your stomach!" Valter claimed as Ephraim stood up and got into his stance while my sharp Rouzer was covered in electricity. "I guess you _do_ have a death wish after all, Blade!"

"I ain't dying here!" I snapped. "This time it's gonna work!" I said as I charged at him. When I was about to upward slash on Valter, he ducked and tried to stab me in the stomach, but this time I was ready. I managed to pivot my body, spinning to dodge the incoming attack and finally slashed on his armor shocking him with volts of electricity.

"Gwah!" he screamed in pain before Ephraim entered the fray and delivered a strong upper slash onto his armor before both of us delivered a back kick to Valter, causing him to tumble back hard before he came to a stop.

"The joke's on you now, Valter!" Ephraim claimed as Valter slowly pushed himself up and… he suddenly laugh maniacally?

"This is good… it feels good… no– THIS IS THE BEST!" Valter rejoiced as he clenched his Obsidian lance and for some reason, the lance that he held emitted a malicious aura on his body.

"He's _clearly_ out of his mind…" Ephraim commented.

"We gotta get rid of that lance somehow!" I said. "I bet that's the source!"

"I noticed it as well… from what I heard from General Duessel, that lance is the cause of his madness; which amplified the user an overdrive in terms of power and speed but at the same time, drives him to his insanity…" Ephraim informed as Valter chuckled.

"It seems like that old fool has informed you about this cursed lance's true strength… and now, both of you are going to experience it firsthand!" he shouted as he immediately made a mad dash towards us and I was surprised the speed he made was the same as Mach Jaguar. Both of us reacted on time and _barely_ to put up our defense as Valter slashed out a strong horizontal slash onto both of us. The strength coming out from it made _us_ skid back and Valter didn't let us to catch up with our breath as he relentlessly made a rapid succession of slashing and stabbing at us, as we tried our best to block it as much as possible. The longer the battle goes, the faster he became and even with my synchronization with Ephraim, it wasn't enough until Valter makes a strong slash onto both of us, creating sparks on our armors before he drove a strong kick directly on Ephraim's stomach, causing him to tumble back a few times and lets his grip off from his lance.

"Brother!" Eirika cried out.

"Ephraim!" I shouted his name as Valter suddenly appeared right in front of me.

"You should focus on _me_ instead of _him_!" Valter said sinisterly before he thrusts his lance on my armor multiple times, creating sparks on me before, and like Ephraim, he delivered a strong kick but not on my stomach, but onto my chest; causing me to tumble back a few times before I lose my Jack Form and reverted back to my Ace Form.

"Kurogasa!" Eirika cried out as Valter looked at me with his sinister smile.

"Look at you! Now, you're nothing lower than dirt, Blade!" he shouted before he kicked away my Rouzer a few feet away before stomping and placing his foot onto my chest, pointing his Obsidian at me. "Do you have anything to say before the final blow, Blade?" I could only keep quiet to myself before Valter tried to make the finishing blow. But to my surprise, he suddenly got into a defense position and Eirika was the one who tried to attack him, despite the disadvantage she had. "Oh? What's _this_? A princess wants to play with me as well? I think this should be good enough for me!" he mocked her as he was just toying with her.

"Eirika! No!" I cried out.

"Too late!" Valter claimed as he easily disarmed her rapier from her hands and held her hostage. His grip, the one with the lance in his hand, that he applied on her tightened as she continued to struggle to free herself from the grip, but he was far too strong due to his influence of his lance.

"Let go of me, you fiend!" Eirika shouted as she continued to struggle from his grip.

"That's right, Eirika! Scream, struggle! Keep doing it to satisfy my lust!" he laughed as he used his free hand and… went under her armor and groped her breasts?!

"It hurts! Let go of me!" she cried out as he continued to apply on it.

"Yes, get angry! The more you're struggle, the more I like it!" he laughed maniacally before he started to lick Eirika's neck, clearly enjoying it but she isn't.

This made my blood boil real bad and I got up. "YOU BASTARD! LET HER GO!" I yelled.

"And then what? Try to attack me?!" he claimed as he applied more pressure on his grope, causing Eirika to moan even louder from it. That's it! I've reached my limit! The only way to make him bow down before me is getting into _that_ form and there's no other way; even if I have to face a severe shock from it. I took out my Rouze Absorber and took out two cards from it. Valter looked at me with his sinister look. "Oh, what's this? The fool continues to play hero?"

"K–Kurogasa…" Eirika panted heavily.

**ABSORB QUEEN**

Alright, this better work! If it doesn't, then I don't know _what_ will! I swiped the Evolution King across the reader.

**EVOLUTION KING**

And as expected, my whole body was in shock as electricity covered my whole body and Valter was amused from it as he paused, his violation on Eirika. "What a fool indeed! Why did you inflict pain to yourself?!"

As I tried to bear the pain, I heard a voice coming out from it and from what I can remember from the series, I bet it must be from Caucasus Undead. _"Naze da… why does a foolish mortal like you want to wield such powers? Don't you know the consequences of this form?"_ the Undead asked me.

_'I don't care _what_ the consequences are! There's someone precious to me! And I will protect her with my life even it means giving it up!'_ I yelled in my thoughts to the Undead.

The Caucasus Undead took note of my answers as I continued to feel the shock. Then it decided as it looked at me. _"Very well… I shall lend you ALL of our powers!"_ And with that declaration, I was able to surpass the shock that bind me from getting my form as all of my cards started to circle around me, much to Valter's confusion.

"Oh? What is this?" he gained interest as my whole armor glowed radiantly before him as he and Eirika had to cover their eyes from it.

* * *

**BGM: Saikyou by V.A**

First, the Evolution Caucasus plaque which was blue boarded by a gold Spade with the Caucasus Beetle and on _it_ was a small red Spade symbol covered the Queen card. The cards circled around me a few more times until eventually they turned golden and started to go to their places into me donning in the gold armor. On my left leg from top to bottom, the Magnet Buffalo, Tackle Boar, and Mach Jaguar plaques appeared. My right leg from top to bottom, the Thunder Deer, Metal Trilobite, and Kick Locust plaques appeared. The Absorb Capricorn plaque was on my left shoulder armor and going down my left arm was the Slash Lizard plaque, the Fusion Eagle plaque was on my right shoulder armor and going down were the Time Scarab plaque, and the Beat Lion plaque. On my chest armor was a large blue Spade symbol with a gold Evolution Caucasus symbol on it, having a small gold spade too. The Change Ace card was obviously still in my belt. Finally, for my helmet, along with the horn in the middle, two more horns protruded on the left and right of my head, as if I was wearing a crown. In my hand, was my King Rouzer.

I had become Kamen Rider Blade – King Form.

"K–Kurogasa?" Myrrh said surprised by my transformation as I noticed Ephraim sitting up and had the same expression.

"What _are_ you, actually?" Ephraim asked as Valter had the smirk on his face.

"Oh? So, you also have a new form?! That's great! I was just getting bored of waiting for you!" he claimed before knocking Eirika's lights out with a strong punch to her stomach before putting her aside like a piece of trash and got into a stance. "I want to know how long you'll last on that form!" he said eagerly.

"All I know is _you_ won't last for long!"

"We shall see!" Valter said angrily before he made a dash towards me and swung his lance at me. To his surprise, I was able to grab his lance even before it reached me with my bare hands before I slashed my King Rouzer onto his armor, cleanly cutting away his armor before giving him a strong open palm attack on his chest, forcing him to grip on his chest in pain. We got ourselves some distance between each other. "What's this?! I've never felt overwhelmed before… and it's getting more interesting!" Valter said truly enjoying the battle.

"Oh, you'll find it _uninteresting_ when I utterly destroy you!" I yelled.

"You're all bark but no bite!" Valter taunted me as five insignias on my armor glowed radiantly. As it appears right in front of me, I grabbed all and on my hand, the five refined cards in my hand. I turned my Rouzer around in order to insert the cards to initiate my finishing move.

"You've hurt my friends…"

**SPADE TEN**

"You've violated the person I love the most…"

**SPADE JACK**

"Your lust makes me sick to my stomach…"

**SPADE QUEEN**

"Your desire of continuous wars only for your satisfaction is even worse…"

**SPADE KING**

"And now…"

**SPADE ACE**

"It's time for you to receive your punishment, Valter!" I shouted. Five holograms of the refined Time Scarab, Fusion Eagle, Absorb Capricorn, Evolution Caucasus, and Change Beetle, appeared right in front of me as I prepared my stance. At the same time, there was a mini sandstorm that covered both of our view… good. Because it would be the last time I'll be seeing him. I gripped my King Rouzer tightly before I dashed towards the holograms.

**ROYAL STRAIGHT FLUSH**

With each passing holograms, the intensity of my King Rouzer got stronger and Valter didn't see me come right at him. At the end of the hologram, my Rouzer reached to its maximum and with a swing of my sword, Valter defended with his Obsidian. What comes next is the unexpected… for him!

"W–What?!" Valter said surprised as he heard a crack from his so–called indestructible weapon and eventually, it shattered into pieces, much to his surprise as I began to continuously slash him all over the place. I let my rage took over me as I didn't stop for even a _second_ as I mercilessly slashed him with all of my might. I can't even see his expression of shock. Eventually, after multiple slashes onto his body, I drove my Rouzer through his stomach, just like what he did to me as he coughs out blood out from his mouth.

"SHINIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII!" I shouted before I pulled the Rouzer rather hard and turned my back on him. The very last thing I've heard from him is his excruciating scream of agony before an explosion occurred all over the place, splattering his blood and some parts of his organs onto my armor as the rest of it were buried in the sand. As the sandstorm eventually passed, both Ephraim and Myrrh noticed Valter was nowhere in sight.

**End BGM**

* * *

"Where's Valter?" Ephraim asked.

"He's gone…" I answered. "I destroyed him… utterly…"

Ephraim was speechless as I canceled out my transformation. Storm was also coming to as he noticed that Valter was nowhere to be seen. "Ugh, what happened?" he groaned.

"Kurogasa has done it! He used his golden powers to destroy Valter!" Myrrh told him.

"I see… he's finally gets his King Form now…" Storm said impressed as I immediately made my way towards the unconscious Eirika.

"Eirika!" I cried out as I cradled her in my arms. "Eirika! Eirika!"

She winced a bit as she slowly opened her eyes and looked at my worried face. "Kurogasa…" she muttered out before she cried on my shoulders after being violently violated from that creepy bastard. She kept repeating my name over and over again, just to get her nightmare off from her memory.

"It's okay… I'm here… It's over… It's finally over…" I got out hugging her.

"Kurogasa… Kurogasa… Kurogasa…" Eirika wept.

"Shhhhhhhh… It's okay. I'm right here. Everything's okay now…" I said softly, combing her hair with my hand. I noticed Ephraim approaching my direction, as well as Storm and Myrrh.

"He's right, Eirika. It's over… Valter's gone… in pieces…" Storm told her as she continued to weep on me.

* * *

_At this time, some of the Wyvern Riders and Pegasus Knights began to retreat as L'Arachel was annoyed. "Hey, we can't let them get away! They might come back with some reinforcements!" she pointed out._

_"But, they're already far from our range of attacks…" Saleh told her but Akira got something in mind._

_"Leave that to me!" Garren said as he attached his Rouze Absorber on his arm and took out two cards._

**ABSORB QUEEN**

_"Alright, let's try this out!" Garren as he slid the card across the reader._

**EVOLUTION KING**

_At that point, a red plaque with a gold diamond in the middle, having the Evolution Giraffa symbol on it with a small green gem of a diamond in the Giraffa symbol covered the Queen card. In an instant, the hologram of Giraffa Undead appeared right in front of him before it changed into a hologram; passing through his body to initiate his newest form, the one that hadn't appeared in the series. On his helmet, the Stag Beetle motif has been changed dramatically with a more prominent golden Giraffa Beetle with red eyes. On his crimson red bodysuit, he wore a golden armor with golden Giraffa insignia resting on his suit of diamonds, mounted with a pair of red shoulder pads with gold linings and a suit of diamond on it, red bracers and elbow pads, all in red with golden lines and had a cape behind him with a few tears at the bottom. On the lower part of his armor, he had a lot more red padding with golden lines and red diamond motif on his thigh protectors and greaves, wearing golden boots to finish it off. The most important feature about him is that he no longer wields a handgun, but instead, his King Rouzer is a bazooka printed with Giraffa motif on it._

_"WOW~! That looks SOO cool!" Ewan said impressed._

_"Just wait 'til you see this!" Garren smirked behind his mask as he took his refined five cards and slotted them into the Rouzer._

**DIAMOND TEN**

**DIAMOND JACK**

**DIAMOND QUEEN**

**DIAMOND KING**

**DIAMOND ACE**

_The five holograms of the refined Thief Chameleon, Fusion Peacock, Absorb Serpent, Evolution Giraffa, and Change Stag appeared in a line in front of his King Rouzer._

**ROYAL STRAIGHT FLUSH**

_He took aim at the sky, as the holograms followed wherever he targeted and as soon as he pulled the trigger, a _huge_ red laser passed through each of the hologram and each pass it made, it got bigger and bigger and when it reached the end of it, it was large enough to obliterate the retreating units, causing them to be dismissed into nothing more than a shadow._

_"Wow… that was some shot…" Cormag said impressed._

_"Indeed." Glen pointed out._

* * *

As all of us regrouped back to the ruined Jehanna Halls, Amber and Mikoto trying their best to calm Eirika down while Melissa–sempai took a rest from over exhaustion at a nearby tree with Kurai, both Ephraim and I were discussing on private matters on another isolated place as some of the troops were getting together with the rest of them. "Kurogasa, I would like to thank you for protecting my sister, as you promised." Ephraim thanked me with a smile on his face before he remembered something. "Oh, I almost forgot. Here…" he handed me something as I looked at them with a confused look on my face.

"What's _this_?" I asked him.

"The Sacred Twins of Grado." Ephraim answered as I looked at a giant black double–edged axe and a tome that was black and purple having a picture of a complex glyph circle with a dark orb in the middle of it. "Garm, the Black Axe and Glephnir, the Dark Tome."

"Hmm…" I took a closer inspection on both of the weapons and I can feel dark energy emit out from it.

"We took these relics from Grado… but I doubt either of us can use them, but… why not see if one of our companions can use them. They might have better luck." he suggested as I gave him a nod of agreement.

"So, uh… does this mean Grado's been defeated?"

"Exactly. I conquered the capital and defeated Emperor Vigarde. But still… it still doesn't add up…" Ephraim pondered.

"What is it?" I asked.

"I don't know why, but something tells me things are about to get worse…" he told me before L'Arachel entered.

"Excuse me, Kurogasa, Ephraim? May I make a suggestion?" L'Arachel proposed. "We've been able to join forces here so… how about if we all get together and trade information. There are people on both sides waiting after all." she told us.

"Sure." I agreed.

* * *

After a while, all of us regrouped and Eirika finally calmed down; all thanks to Amber and Mikoto and not to mention Tana joining in as well to calm her best friend down. Melissa–sempai was also there, but felt a little weak. In the end, Kurai gave her a piggyback ride to help her move around a bit so that she would also listen to what others have to say. "I see unfamiliar faces among you here, so allow me to introduce myself. I am Ephraim, Eirika's brother and crown prince of Renais." he introduced himself as L'Arachel stepped forward.

"I'm Princess L'Arachel of Rausten. The pleasure is mine, of course." she replied back to him as well.

"I'll begin by telling you of how we've fared in our mission. We seized the Grado capital and defeated her emperor, Vigarde. Grado's capital guard have, to a man, surrendered and laid down their arms. Pockets of resistance remain, but the war itself is over."

"Is that so?" Innes asked.

"Well that's good I guess…" Akira said.

"However, something remains that still bothers me. A Grado man named Knoll told me about something called a "Dark Stone.".

"Dark Stone?" Amber asked.

"Queen Ismaire said something about a dark stone just before she died." Storm remembered.

"Their mages had uncovered lore that led them to craft a powerful magic stone." Ephraim continued. "This Dark Stone may have been the catalyst of Grado's transformation. It seems to be the source of that black wave of energy that Myrrh described. Vigarde died some time ago, but the power of the stone played him like a puppet. The war and everything else that passed since was planned by the Dark Stone's master."

"Well? Who _is_ it?" Innes asked. Ephraim was silent for a while, until he spoke again.

"…I still can't believe it, but I'll tell you nonetheless. According to Knoll, the man behind this is Lyon, the imperial prince. He said Lyon's got the Dark Stone."

WHAT?!

"Figures its Prince Lyon…" Innes scoffed.

"No, that doesn't make any sense!" Eirika intervened.

"Princess…" Seth said worried.

"Ephraim and I know Lyon better than that. We've been friends for _years_!" she pointed out as I still remembered what Seth told me about back at Mulan. "Lyon's not the sort of person who could start a war like this!"

"But, Eirika…" Innes tried convincing her.

"I saw Lyon recently, alongside Kurogasa!" she told us, which made the rest of the group gasp by her claim but it's true; we _did_ meet Lyon just a bit before he made an escape and L'Arachel called out our name to get to Queen Ismaire… "Ephraim, you might know this, but after I abandoned the sea route to Rausten, I traveled overland with Prince Innes to Jehanna. We ran into trouble with Grado's forces, and I chanced upon Lyon. He didn't share the details of his situation, but he intimated that he was on our side. Despite all appearances, he was on our side. So Lyon…" Eirika shook for a bit as the information from her brother might be too much for her to handle as I stood next to her and she held my hand to muster up the courage.

"Eirika, I _also_ met Lyon."

"Did you really?" Eirika asked.

"Yes. But, he was like a completely different person. To be honest, he didn't seem to be completely… human."

"Hold up, so what are you saying?" Kurai asked.

"I'll tell you what I saw." Ephraim continued. "I found Lyon inside Grado Keep. This is what he told me: He said _he_ was behind this war. He said _he'd_ befriended us solely so that, one day, he could invade Renais. He told me _he_ killed our father."

"That… That can't…" Eirika got out.

"Oh dear…" Melissa–sempai said worried.

"I know. I can't believe it either." Ephraim said shaking his head in disbelief. "I refuse to believe it. How could he have planned all this since he was a child… I simply can't fathom it. I've heard Lyon changed when he acquired the Dark Stone. I've no interest in magic, but… there was something uncanny about him. It seemed almost as though he were being controlled by something himself." Everyone was silent at that before Innes spoke up.

"The two of you might find this hard to accept, but… the state of Prince Lyon's heart matters little. He has the Dark Stone. That rock is the cause of all that's happened. The prince _must_ be stopped." Innes stated.

"Not yet." L'Arachel intervened causing everyone looked at her. "There _is_ something that needs doing first."

"L'Arachel?" Eirika asked her in confusion.

"And what would _that_ be?" Tana added as L'Arachel focused her attention to the prince.

"Prince Ephraim, I do believe you felt it as well." she spoke to him.

"Feel what?" Ephraim asked her.

"The Dark Stone held by Prince Lyon… It exudes a malefic miasma…" she told him as I tried to recall from what she just said. Could it be true? Because the last time we met, the only thing we saw was he was weakened for some reason and that's just it… Could there be more than meets the eye? "We might be able to handle Prince Lyon alone, but that stone is _beyond_ our ken."

"Then what do you suggest?" Eirika asked her.

"The Sacred Stones…"

"And the power of the legendary Riders…" Saleh told us as he stepped forward. "In order to seal the enemy, the Riders must somehow weaken the darkness's strength…"

"We've all heard the legend of the five Sacred Stones from five Riders that have sacrificed themselves as well!" L'Arachel added. "With the assistance of our Rider friends and the Sacred Stones to seal it, we can seal the Demon King away forever. So, of course, to dispel demonic magic, we must use the Sacred Stones!" she furthered explained.

"You expect us to pin the outcome of this war on some fool legend?" Innes scoffed.

"…Not _just_ the legend. We also have _hope_. According to Lyon, he has already seen to the destruction of Grado's, Frelia's, and Jehanna's stones." Ephraim pointed out.

"Hm. That explains something…" I spoke. "Grado forces attacked us, intent on destroying the Stone of Renais that Eirika held on many occasions. If that could be the reason they chose to invade Renais… that could be meaning one thing…"

"The power of the Sacred Stones from the Riders may be greater than we'd ever known…" Eirika finished.

"Yes, exactly! If we acquire at _least_ a Sacred Stone, we'll be able to oppose the Dark Stone's might!" L'Arachel spoke up.

"One problem, though… three out of five stones are destroyed, including my country's stone…" Joshua told them as we began to think about it.

"Seems like we're running out of options…" Akira pondered as almost everyone puts their thinking cap on, except Rennac since all he cares about is money and nothing else…

"Could it be…" Tana spoke as everyone looked at her. "…during the invasion of Renais…"

"No…" Seth immediately intervened. "The Stones of Renais is hidden on Her Highness and His Highness' bracelets…"

"Oh yeah! That's right! We almost _forgot_ about that!" Storm recalled.

"Grado has made many attempts to take our bracelets. Everyone has failed, and so the stone may still be safe." Eirika said.

"We have yet to confirm that, of course." Ephraim said. "We've defeated Grado, and yet we must turn our eyes to our homeland."

"Well, that's that. We're heading back to Renais. But first, some rest." I said.

* * *

_After the meeting, Saleh looked around until he saw Myrrh and the latter was happy to see the former. "Lady Myrrh…" Saleh got out. _

_"Saleh…" Myrrh said relieved._

_"I'm grateful to see you well." Saleh said. "The people of Caer Pelyn will be overjoyed that you're safe." _

_"I must apologize to you, Saleh." He said looking down sadly. "You were there to protect me from the very start of my journey. When we were attacked, I was separated from you, and… I'm so sorry to have worried you." Saleh could only smile as he patted the girl's head._

_"As long as you're safe, we have nothing to be worried about." Myrrh looked at him and smiled gently at him. "It will by my honor to serve you until your mission is complete." _

_"Thank you, Saleh." Myrrh thanked._

* * *

_As the full moon shined in the night sky and everyone had dinner, the rest decided to take a good night rest, where Gerik, Kurogasa, Ephraim and surprisingly, Tethys were on guard for tonight. Gerik then approached Tethys. "Tethys. How are you feeling?"_

_"Oh, Chief!" Tethys said surprised from his sudden appearance as she wiped off some of the sweat on her forehead. "Things are as fine as one could expect. But I've been dancing so much I've worked up quite a sweat." she sighed. "At this rate I may even lose a few inches off of my waistline. Who knows, maybe my figure will be even more alluring than before." she said seductively tone, which made Gerik laugh._

_"Well, I'm not sure that's even possible, but keep up the good work. Your dancing has had quite a restorative effect on the troops." he told her, which made her smile._

_"Really?" she asked him, which he nodded. "I'm happy to hear it. I must keep dancing then, mustn't I?" she asked him, as he nodded. It was then she remembered something. "Oh, I almost forgot, Chief. I have great news!"_

_"Oh?" Gerik said intrigued. "Speak, then."_

_"In this next battle, you'll get your hands on some sort of an incredible treasure!"_

_"A treasure?" he asked her._

_"Yes, that's right, some sort of treasure." she informed him, which he laughs at again._

_"I see. I don't know what it might be, but I can't wait for it!" he told her as he was still curious about something. "So tell me, Tethys, when did you first start dancing?" he asked her out of the blue, causing the dancer to be surprised from his sudden question._

_"Oh… Well, that would have been…" she looked a bit down as she pondered, causing Gerik to be concerned for her._

_"Hm? What's the matter?"_

_"Um, well…" she was a bit hesitant before she looked at him with a sad expression on her face. "Yes, it was long ago. Back when Ewan was still young." she sighed._

_"What is it, Tethys?" he asked her as she turned away from him, her sad expression still on her face._

_"_…_I'm sorry, Chief." she replied lowly. "I'll explain it another time. Can we drop it for now?" and before he could even ask her again, she left him in a hurry._

_"Tethys…"_

* * *

"Kurogasa, can I talk to you about something?" Ephraim asked me.

"Sure, what is it?" I asked.

Both of us were the bonfire as everyone was asleep. He sat next to me and scratched his head. "Well, firstly, I want to thank you to protect her since we went on our own path to accomplish each mission we had to fulfill…"

"You already thanked me." I said.

"I know." Ephraim said. "But I also wanted to say that it's good to know that she's in good hands. I've always known she would have to be wed. My fear was she would be forced into a political wedding or used to join houses _regardless_ of her wishes. Our father wouldn't _do_ such a thing to her, not unless no other choice was available… but I'm glad you and Eirika are together. It's just… she's my sister and the only family I have left. Just… promise me you'll make her happy."

"Ephraim…" I got out as I looked at him with his sincere smile. It seems like he really puts a lot of trust in me to protect someone he really cares about and I really _do_ love Eirika, and I've earned his trust, just like how I earned Storm's trust when we were kids. I better stick to my vow with him as I will continue to be at her side, no matter what happens…

"I promise. I'll make her happy to my best of my ability." I said.

"I've no doubt you will." Ephraim smiled. "And…" He added, before turning his head to ponder about something.

"What?" I asked. "What is it?"

"Well… it's like this. I've heard a funny story from Amber during dinner. She told me at a place where Klimt was held hostage, Eirika came to your room because of her fear of thunderstorm, yes? She told me that the two of you held hands together to help her calm down, am I correct?" he asked me, which somehow Amber's endless teasing continues on…

"What are you getting at?" I asked cautiously.

"I'm saying that in addition to my thanks for protecting Eirika …" Ephraim said clearing his throat before he looked left and right, and motioned me to lean in, which I did, he whispered to me, something I'd thought I would _never_ hear from him.

"EHHHHHHHHHHHH?!" I asked gawking and looking at him incredulously. No way! You've got to be kidding me! Was he serious?! He's actually giving me permission to–

"And besides, I've already gave you my blessing to ask her hand in marriage…" he said to me before he wrapped his arm around my shoulder. "So, what do you say, brother–in–law?"

"Uh… wow… I don't _know_ what to say…" I got out. "Are you sure?"

"I don't mind at all, but I'm not so sure about how your world works, according to your friend." Ephraim responded while I was still bewildered by his offer just now. "Maybe you need some time to think about it."

"Uh… yeah. I guess…" I said. "I'm gonna check on Eirika now."

Ephraim understood before he pulled away his arm around my shoulder and stood up. "Well, just be sure to take care of her for me during my absence, alright?" he said before going off to another direction. Wow… just wow, a lot of things happened today… and this one takes the cake… I better put that aside for now and look for Eirika. I think I saw her went to a nearby cliff to watch the view of a full moon… might as well head there.

* * *

After a while, I finally found her and she was sitting all alone, looking at the full moon with a sad expression on her face. She must have a lot on her mind; especially what that bastard did to her earlier today…

"Hey Eirika." I greeted. She turned around and saw me.

"Hi, Kurogasa." Eirika smiled.

"Mind if I keep you company?" I asked.

"I don't mind." Eirika said as I sat next to her. It was silent for a while until I spoke.

"How are you Eirika? Are you… okay now?" I asked.

Eirika was still a bit disturbed about it as she still had a sad look on her face. "It still scares me, but I'm alright, all thanks to Tana and your friends…" she told me.

"Well, I'm glad to hear you're okay…" I replied back before silence accompanied us once again.

"I'm still worried…" she spoke as the gentle wind blew at her face and her hair blew gently. "…is what my brother said is true? Has Lyon _really_ changed? You've saw what _I_ saw, right?" she asked me concerned.

"Yeah, I did."

"I'm scared for Lyon." She said shaking a bit.

"Eirika…" I got out as she looked really down when she thought about it. I sat really close to her and pulled her next to me, surprising her for a bit.

"Kurogasa?"

"Don't worry. I may not know much about your friend, but we'll get to the bottom of this and find the truth together. This way, we can tell whether he speaks the truth or not… if he is, the Dark Stone might be the source of the troubles…" I explained to her as she looked at me with a smile and with the full moon shone nicely, it makes me mesmerized whenever I looked at her beautiful face as she rested her head peacefully on my shoulders.

"You're right… it's too early to jump to a conclusion just yet…" she said calmly as her smile remained there.

"Yeah…" I replied to her.

"May I ask you something?"

"Sure, what is it?" I asked her.

"What did you discuss with my brother?" she asked me out of the blue. "I noticed my brother got really friendly with you and it got me curious…" she replied.

"Um…" I got out blushing madly. "I don't know if I should tell you."

"About what?" she asked me before she panicked a bit. "D–Did my brother tease something about me?"

"No, it's not that… it's…" I got out. I then motioned for her to lean in which she did and whispered it to her. She then blushed just as madly as I did.

"Oh, Ephraim!" she said angrily while she still blushed madly. "H–How can he _say_ such a thing! I–I don't know what to _say_ here! And he just gave his blessing to you to ask my hand in marriage?!"

"It's not _my_ fault! He just… told me…" I got out.

Silence loomed over once again as both of us had a blush of our own, and I blame him for that… "But I guess… that's just his way of saying that he supports our relationship and that it's an extension of him trusting me with you." Wow, that's weird coming out from my mouth.

"Yes, I guess you're right…" she replied back and I felt her hand held onto mine as she took it and placed it… on her chest?! Oh man, déjà vu all over again! "K–Kurogasa… about the marriage…" she stuttered. "…when the war is over… I–I'll give you my answer… I–Is it okay for you to wait for my reply?" she asked me as I felt her heart beating very strong, as if it nearly exploded just to say it to me.

"Um… okay…" I got out.

"O–Okay. I–it's a promise then…" she said to me before the two of us kissed under the moonlight to seal the deal. One thing I _do_ know for sure, is Eirika is the most important person to me and I'll do my best to protect her, even if it costs me my life. Until the war is over, we still have a mission to accomplish…

* * *

And there we go! Another chapter ended! And wow, was it lengthy! It's getting bigger and bigger by each chapter. I might as well try to reach 20,000+ words a chapter! XD But yeah, Valter was destroyed utterly and I thank Wild Fang for that! You're the best dude! XD So go ahead people and review!


	19. Chapter 16: Ruled By Madness

Hi there! It's time for another chapter of Kamen Rider Blade: The Sacred Stones! I'm kinda sad that nobody reviewed last chapter… oh well, what can you do. Anyways, let's go!

Disclaimer: Same thing.

* * *

Chapter 16: Ruled By Madness

"CANNONBAAAAAALLLLLLLL!" Storm shouted.

*SPLASH!*

The next day had come by and it was really hot yet again. I mean we _are_ in the middle of a desert after all. Thankfully, there was an oasis not far from our camp. So right now, we Riders and the troops are relaxing, beating the heat by swimming in the oasis pool of water.

"Wait up! I'm joining in!" Ross shouted, as he was only in his shorts and shirt before he jumped and dived towards the oasis before resurfacing. Heck, even Ewan and _Ephraim_ joined us since Akira, Colm and I are already at the oasis.

"It's really refreshing!" Ewan pointed out.

"Indeed! It's a good thing this isn't one of those mirages like we've seen in cartoons!" Akira pointed out.

"But it's too bad, though… the girls are taking a separate bath after we have _our_ bath here…" Ephraim added.

"And not to mention the rest of the knights and others have _their_ things to do…" Colm added.

"Their loss, our gain. While _they're_ enduring the heat, we're here relaxing and cooling off." I stated.

"But still, I feel bad for Sempai today…" Storm said worried, leaving me confused.

"What do you mean?" I asked as Ewan looked around.

"Hey, where's Kurai?" Ewan asked.

"That's just it… big bro is staying at her side because she caught a fever…" Akira added.

"Maybe because of what happened yesterday when she was in that golden armor. After she used it, she suddenly collapsed…" Ross filled in.

"Hmmm…" I pondered. "Maybe we can help her cool off somehow."

"Huh?" Everyone asked.

* * *

_"How are you feeling Melissa?" Kurai asked._

_"I'm a little bit better now…" she replied softly as she, Kurai, Eirika, Amber, Mikoto and Natasha were under the shade of an open camp as Natasha helped out by damping the cloth in the cool water they got from the cool oasis and placed it on her forehead while Melissa rested her head on Amber's lap. "I'm sorry for causing everyone trouble because of me…"_

_"Nah, don't worry about it. I can take a dive later on. You're my number one priority…" Kurai told her as she had a little smile from his comment._

_"After what you have done, helping us for our troubles, we want to simply return the favor to you, my friend." Natasha smiled._

_"Thank you both." Melissa thanked smiling a bit._

* * *

**SCREW**

**BLIZZARD**

The holograms of Screw Mole and Blizzard Polar entered Lance's armor

**BLIZZARD GALE**

With that, Lance had snow coming out of his hands. Meanwhile, I roused two cards.

**GEL**

**MAGNET**

The holograms of Gel Jellyfish and Magnet Buffalo entered my armor and a jelly orb of magnetism appeared at the tip of my Rouzer. I fired it at the Blizzard Gale Lance made and it mixed together until we made one giant big ice bowl. After that, the guys worked together and we managed to fill in the giant ice bowl with cold water. "There! _That_ should do it! Now we just need to bring the pool over to Melissa–sempai. Garren help me out here."

"Right!" Garren said.

**ABSORB QUEEN**

**FUSION JACK**

Garren and I entered our Jack Forms and after that, both Garren and I flew to the air and roused the same card on our respective Rouzers.

**BIO**

The holograms of Bio Plant entered both our armors and vines shot out our hands to giant bowl of ice and wrapped it around to secure it. "You know, it feels a bit creepy to see a moving plant do some work… even though they're just doing a good thing…" Ross commented.

"Yes, but seeing what they can do _outside_ of a battle is _another_ thing. These guys sure know how to put things to their advantage, making it useful for other purposes." Ephraim added as both Garren and I were able to lift it, but we're having a hard time trying to move it.

"Right! Now _my_ part's coming up!" Lance added as he roused a card onto his Rouzer.

**TRIAL… B**

With his armor glowing radiantly, it eventually dimmed down and with a sound of his neck cracked; he pushed it towards the camp's direction, with our assistance. "It's a good thing we borrowed Sempai's cards and she didn't question our motives…" Garren grunted.

"And Kurai also helped out by lending his Bio to us and keep his trap shut too…" Ross added.

"With a kid like me asking for it, they won't doubt about it at all!" Ewan said.

After a few minutes, we were almost near the camp. "Ooooooiiiiiii, sempai!" I called out. The rest of the group near the camp heard our shout as they were surprised to see what we're bringing to them. Melissa–sempai slowly woke up and turned her head to our direction and she was also a little surprised about it.

"Whoa! What a huge bowl!" Mikoto chirped.

"That Kurogasa; always doing something silly around here…" Amber complained.

"It can't be helped. He is who he is after all…" Eirika told her.

"Dang, you guys _sure_ have outdone yourselves this time…" Kurai commented.

"Hey big sis has been helping us out a lot!" Garren said as we slowly set the huge ice bowl of water down. "The least we can do is this!"

"Oh my… I don't know what to say…" Melissa–sempai said a bit stunned as she felt Eirika hold her hands.

"Think nothing of it. Just consider this as our thanks to you…" she told her.

"Yes, Melissa. You deserve it." Natasha told her as Melissa–sempai couldn't help but have a smile on her face.

"Thank you… everyone." she thanked us as everyone smiled at her, including me.

* * *

_While the girls were helping out Melissa cool her body down, Seth was looking at his map as he noticed Cormag sparring with his brother, despite Glen only having one arm. Glen was still able to disarm Cormag before he pointed it to his neck to indicate the practice session is up. "You did good today, brother… that would be all…" Glen said before Cormag nodded. When Glen moved away, Seth approached him._

_"You're pretty good with a spear." Seth commented as Cormag looked at him with a slight smirk._

_"Thanks, but I'm not as good as my brother. I mean, he beats me with only one arm…" Cormag replied._

_"I noticed that…" Seth said. "You and your brother, Glen, are famous even among the Knights of Renais. We have no Wyvern Riders in Renais, and your stories are favorites among the men. I've been watching your combat style since you joined our forces." Seth said interested._

_"Oh, is that so? Well, tell me: what do you think?" Cormag asked._

_"I'd love a chance to spar with you." Seth offered, which Cormag kindly declined._

_"Not a chance. I could_ never_ beat you."_

_"So you say, but I can see in your eyes that you'll never accept failure." Seth noticed._

_"Heh… And all this time, I thought you were just another loyal dullard. Guess I was wrong." Cormag said shaking his head lightly before looking back at Seth with a smile. "We should chat some more sometime."_

_"Yes, I think I'd like that." Seth accepted. "Perhaps once things have eased up. I'm looking forward to it, Cormag."_

_"Sure thing!"_

* * *

_As Glen was putting away his lance, he noticed Duessel approaching him. "Duessel…" Glen acknowledged._

_"Glen. Good to see you alive." Duessel greeted, and then noticed his arm. "I heard from your brother yesterday of what happened to your arm."_

_"So you heard about it…" Glen said to him as he placed his hand on his missing arm. "That Valter_ deserved_ to be cut into pieces for his evil ambition. And I thank that lad for fulfilling my wish. If only I was more aware, maybe all of this wouldn't have happen…" Glen said in a low tone._

_"Do not blame yourself for something you didn't do, Glen. If the damage has already been done, there is nothing we can do about it." Duessel reminded him as Glen looked at the desert._

_"I wonder how Selena feels about all of this. Does she question the Emperor's motives?" Glen pondered but Duessel's expression changed to a sad look on his face._

_"Glen, there's something you should know about Selena." he told her as Glen looked at him._

_"What is it?"_

_"Selena… is gone…" Duessel told him._

_"What?" Glen gasped._

_"I know. I couldn't believe it either." Duessel said solemnly. "Her loyalty to our now dead Emperor was her undoing. Prince Ephraim tried to convince her to join our cause, but her loyalty never wavered."_

* * *

**Flashback**

"Well met, Selena." Duessel greeted.

"General Duessel… I must offer you my apologies. I called you a traitor, but I was mistaken. Your loyalty never wavered, not for an instant." Duessel could only keep silent. "And yet you must know that I have no intention of withdrawing. So let us not waste words. Let us settle this with steel, my friend."

"That's how it is to be, then? One of us dies by the other's hands?" Duessel asked solemnly.

"Yes. It's the path I've chosen. I have no regrets." Selena said firmly.

"I see… Well… I, too, must follow the path that I have chosen." Duessel said.

"Very well,"

"Wait!" Ephraim called out as the two Generals turn to Prince Ephraim who was running towards them. "Are you… General Selena?"

"I am. And you are Prince Ephraim." Selena said.

"I know you've spoken with Myrrh. Withdraw your troops. You must know the Emperor is not rational!"

"Yes, I know."

"Then _why_?! Why do we still fight?!" Ephraim demanded.

"I am a general of the Empire. His majesty's word is law." Selena answered.

"That's ridiculous!" Ephraim snapped. "You know the Emperor is deranged, and yet you follow his orders?! Is that _truly_ loyalty?!"

"Prince Ephraim, you cannot understand. I know the path I'm given is foolish. Yet I am a knight, and I have no other."

"Selena, please! I have no wish to see you die here!" Ephraim pleaded.

"Me? Die? Prince Ephraim, you misunderstand me." Selena chuckled. "I have no intention of dying. Madness though it may be, _I_ will be the one doing the killing today."

**End Flashback**

* * *

_"Selena…" Glen sighed sadly._

_"I know it's hard to swallow it whole, but that's just it… those are Selena's own words…" Duessel told him._

_"In the end, she died with pride for the Emperor, huh?" Glen implied with a low tone._

_"Yes."_

* * *

_Inside the ruins of Jehanna Hall, Joshua invited Marisa to spar with him as both gave everything they got. Marisa continued to clash her sword onto the defensive Joshua but he immediately countered back with one of his own. In the end, both of them skid back before facing each other in their stances. Marisa noticed that Joshua relaxed as he placed his sword on its sheath and wiped out the sweat on his forehead. "Whew… After a match like _that_, I can be happy with a tie!" Joshua commented as Marisa silently placed her sword back into its sheath. "You're better than I thought. It's a good thing we revive an old tradition; two swordsmen met on the battlefield– even _allied_ swordsmen– they would duel it out to test one another's worth with the blade." Joshua added._

_"I agree and you're not too bad yourself." she replied back as Joshua had a little smile on him._

_"Heh… Thanks. But remember, I was at a slight disadvantage, so…"_

_"I must admit, I _did_ hold you at a slight disadvantage." Marisa told him. "However, we are closely matched, despite our incompatible styles. I simply couldn't land a decisive blow." she pondered. "But it was all worthwhile. After all, I've learned, and that is worth far more than any wager."_

_"I see." Joshua understood. "You're a quick one, aren't you? How did you get that good?"_

_"Fighting is all I have."_

_"You live for the sword, eh?" Joshua smirked as he took a coin from his pocket and flicked it in the air before he caught it. "I prefer rolling the dice to swinging the sword, you know?"_

_"…Why is that?" she wondered as Joshua let out a sigh of relief._

_"I thought you'd never ask. You're asking how I got hooked on gambling, right? Let me see…" Joshua began recollecting some of his memories from the past. "There's not much to tell. I guess by the time I realized it, it was already too late. I'd grown bored of everything before I discovered gambling. But then I saw it– gambling was like life, in short little bursts. Life itself is just one big gamble! That's how I see things."_

_"I see." Marisa nodded slightly before looking at him. "I don't know anything about gambling, but it was a good duel. We must try this again soon."_

_"What, with no wager? That doesn't sound very fun." Joshua complained as Marisa looked at him with her neutral look._

_"Suit yourself…"_

_"You _mean_ that?" Joshua asked her again, as she nodded to confirm it, making his smile appear again. "Then we'll have another bet. I'll win next time."_

* * *

_At another open camp, Forde let out a yawn after taking a good rest from the battle since yesterday. Vanessa noticed him as she took her Pegasus for a little walk. "Oh, look who's actually _awake_ today."_

_Forde noticed as he looked at Vanessa blinking a few times. "What do you mean by me being awake?"_

_"Just the other day, I was flying by and saw you lying on the ground." she began. "I thought you were hurt, but when I got closer, I saw that you were just sleeping! I couldn't believe my eyes! I was so disgusted that I just left you there." she added before she calmed herself down. "But then I started to worry about enemies spotting you, so I went back. By the time I got back to where you were, you were already gone."_

_Forde then got interested about her before replying. "I catch them off guard that way and then attack. That's my strategy."_

_"I seriously doubt that." she deadpanned, making Forde laugh._

_"But anyway, thanks for your concern."_

_"You really don't stress or plan much, do you? So different from our prince…" she commented as he noticed something._

_"The prince of Frelia? Ah, you mean Prince Innes." he recalled. "I think he's _almost_ 100 percent stress. But I'm sure he's quite the ladies' man. I bet you have a crush on him, too." The only reply from Vanessa was slight blush on her face. "You're blushing, so I must have hit a nerve!"_

_"I–I don't! I didn't say anything!" Vanessa tried to deny._

_"A romance between a prince and his knight? What scandal! What intrigue!" he expressed. "It's all right, though. You can love anyone you like. You must have lots of competition, seeing how he is a prince. It's much easier to date someone you can be yourself around. Someone like, say, me would be ideal for you. What do you say?"_

_As soon as she heard his offer, she began to get a little nervous as she avoided his gaze and decided to go away. "Um… Let's go, Titania. We've wasted enough time here." she said making an excuse before she brought along her Pegasus. The only thing Forde can do was look at her with a smile._

* * *

After cooling off with the guys, it was now the girls turn to cool off. I was walking around the camp until I saw Rennac minding his own business. "Hey Rennac, you got a minute?" I called out to him.

"Hm?" Rennac said as he noticed me while putting away some documents of some sort before he faced me. "What do you want, lad? Don't you see I'm busy here?" he asked me with a neutral look.

"I know you are, this will be quick. I promise." I told him. "Listen, I'm planning on promoting some people in the troop. But I don't have enough or necessary promotion items. Is there like some kind of a shop or something that sells those?" I asked.

Rennac pondered for a moment before he thought of something. "From what I heard, there's no such place that sold such a thing…"

"Gee, that's too bad…" I said while looking down for a bit.

"Well, that isn't true at all…" Rennac told me as I looked at him.

"Really?"

"Information comes with a price, kid…" he began to bargain. "It's up to you whether you want to pay me or not, because there are some places that only I know about…"

"What's your price?" I asked.

Rennac pondered before he stated his price. "For my service: 10,000 Gold."

Silence roamed around the area for a while before I got something in mind. "I think I should talk to L'Arachel about this…"

"Wait! Wait!" he panicked immediately stopping me from talking to her. I knew thieves or rogues can be sneaky at times, so that's why I always have to be prepared for the worst and one of his weaknesses was what Kurai stated as a self–centered princess. "PLEASE! Don't talk to her about what we discussed!" Rennac told me as I let out a sigh before looking back at him. "My lowest rate that I can accept for my service is 2000 Gold! Does that sound good to you?"

"Fair enough." I said as I handed him a bag of coins and he took it.

Rennac checked the content of the gold and let out a satisfied look on his face before he puts it away and looked at me. "What kind of promotional items do you want, kid?" he asked me.

"One Elysian Whip, two Hero Crests, and three Guiding Rings." I answered.

"Hm… I'll see what I can do…" Rennac nodded before he walked away from his spot. But then he stopped and turned around to look at me. "Don't follow me and don't even think about talking to that princess!" he warned me before he continued to walk away.

"Oh, don't you worry." I grinned cheekily.

* * *

And so after Rennac, gave me the six items needed, I called Tana, Cormag, Joshua, Garcia, L'Arachel, Knoll, and Ewan for a private meeting at another part of the camp. "Why are calling us, Kurogasa? Is there something really important?" Tana asked me with her usual happy tone.

"We were right in the middle of packing some stuff to head towards Renais…" Cormag told me.

"And calling me out of nowhere while I'm still visiting my mother's grave…" Joshua noted.

"It must have been a very important thing to do…" Knoll added.

"But I was just about to learn some new magic from teacher!" Ewan chirped up as Garcia laughed.

"Calm down, lad. You can resume your learning later…" Garcia added as L'Arachel looked at me with a confused look.

"What?" I asked her.

"How come your face is full of whip–like lashes? Even your sleeves were a bit torn up… did you fight with some sort of a monster or something?" L'Arachel asked me.

"No… it was Mikoto…" I groaned.

"Mikoto? What did she do to you?" Tana asked me.

"Did you two have a fight or something?" L'Arachel added.

"Well… actually…"

* * *

**Flashback**

_"No!"_

_"But–"_

_"No! What I see is what I get! I won't give you my treasure!" Mikoto defended as she growled and hissed like an angry cat. Honestly, if she found something valuable, she'll protect it with her life._

_"C'mon Mikoto, can you plea–"_

_*WAPISH!*_

_"OW!"_

_"If you want it, then you better get it!" she challenged as I accepted it… with a price of course. She's as nimble as a cat while keep running around and around, making me dizzy. When she found an opening, she'll whip me good and that lasted for 5 minutes. But luckily, Akira noticed what she's been doing as he approached her._

_"Mikoto–chan, what are you doing with big bro?" he asked her, causing her to stop for a moment before I accidentally tackled her on her back, making her release the whip and she fell on top of him, much to his dismay. "Owww…"_

_"Owie…" both of them groaned as she pushed herself up and noticed the predicament, making both of them blush a bit. "S–Sorry…"_

_"I–it's alright…"_

_"Alright, got the whip, thanks Mikoto." I said then ran off._

_"Hey! Get back here with my whip!" Mikoto said as she got off Akira and chased me. "Henshin!"_

**OPEN UP**

_She was donned in her armor and she roused a card._

**TRIAL… C**

_In an instant, she was in her Trial Form and chased me as she closed the gap really fast! But luckily for me, I think I found my solution as I noticed Kurai carrying a feverish Melissa–sempai bridal style to get to the caravan. "Please, Kurai… I can walk…" she said with a slight blush._

_"Don't worry about it. Your condition is still weak since yesterday and combined with the fever you had, even after taking a cold dip, your body still needs some recovering. Besides, I don't wanna let the person that changed my life collapse again, right?" Kurai said kindly before both of them noticed me heading towards them. "Kid?"_

_"Kurogasa?" she asked confused as Glaive suddenly stopped at her track and Melissa–sempai looked at her. "Oh my, what's going on around here?"_

_"He had _MY_ treasure!" Glaive complained, as Kurai got angry._

_"Keep your tone down! Don't you see she's still having a fever here?!" Kurai complained as Melissa–sempai can only pinch his arm, making him winced for a bit._

_"If it wasn't for you to hold my staff behind you, I might crush your toe again, Kurai…" she said before she looked at the both of us. "Now then, mind telling me what's going on?"_

_"Um…" I got out. "I needed this whip. I need to promote some people and Mikoto wouldn't let go… so she challenged me to catch it, which I accepted, and she whipped me for a good five minutes until I got it." I answered._

_"Oh, I see…" Melissa–sempai blinked before she looks at Mikoto. "Mikoto, dear… Kurogasa has taken your whip fair and square. Isn't it good enough?"_

_"B–But…"_

_"Kid, you need to learn how to share with other people. So, sooner or later, you have to let things go…" Kurai advised._

_At first Glaive didn't want to accept it but she canceled out her transformation and let out a sigh. "Fine… you win… you caught me fair and square…"_

_"And…?" Melissa–sempai added, causing Mikoto to be startled for a bit._

_"And… sorry for whipping you hard, Kurogasa…" Mikoto muttered while looking down._

_"Apology accepted." I said._

**End Flashback**

* * *

"And that's how it goes…" I finished explaining to them.

"So, the reason you've called us is to promote us? Is that it?" Joshua asked raising his eyebrow as he looked at me crossing his arms.

"Well, we got some time before we depart, so let's make it snappy!" Tana said.

"Alright then, I guess I should start with both of you two first…" I said while shifting my attention to both Tana and Cormag, starting with the latter. "Cormag, I've heard some story about you and your brother from Seth about how famous you are amongst Renais and I'm glad to have you joined our side, even though Grado has branded you a traitor and they thought your brother died in the hands of Eirika for the time being…"

"Think nothing of it, Kurogasa." Cormag waved off. "I also questioned the Emperor's motives as Glen and I couldn't believe that Valter tricked me. I guess I should thank you for killing him off for me, even though I wanted to kill him myself." he muttered.

"It can't be done. One thing for certain is that creep is now resting in pieces. "I said with slightly angry before I calmed myself down and looked at Tana with her usual smile. "And Tana… we had our share of the past, but that's beside the point. From what I heard from Vanessa and Eirika, you seem to be improving each time we go to battle."

"Aw~, thanks! But I'm still in training, of course. I may not be as good as Vanessa, but I'll try my best to become better!" Tana chirped.

"Yeah, I noticed that from the battle yesterday, but I believe you can be better than before." I told her, which made her blush.

"Really?"

"I'm sure of it. That's why I'll be giving both of you these Elysian Whips; to promote you, Cormag, into a Wyvern Knight, and Tana, a Falcon Knight. Please accept it." I said as both of them took the promotional items I handed to them as Cormag let out a nod while Tana suddenly hugged me making me spin her around before she let go.

"I'll do my best to become the best Falcon Knight!" Tana told me before she headed off somewhere, probably to show it to Vanessa as Cormag walked away with his new rank.

"Alrighty, time to shift gears… onto you, Princess L'Arachel." I said while looking onto her. "With your staff and your skills as a troubadour, you've helped out everyone by mending their wounds with your light."

"Of _course_ I am! I am the follower of justice after all, Kurogasa; just like you!" L'Arachel complimented me with a smile.

"And I noticed recently that you started to whack some of the enemies' head with your staff. It got me worried that if your staff breaks in half, you might not be able to heal anyone around you…" I added.

"Well, I don't want to stay at one spot and just run towards them to heal their wounds, Kurogasa. I wanted to help out by attacking my enemies as well." she added, which makes me nod as I took her hand and slid a ring onto her ring finger.

"With this Guiding Ring, you are now a Valkyrie. You don't have to worry about whacking them with your staff. You can ask Artur to help you out with the light magic so you can blast them away instead." I told her as she looked upon the ring and smiled at it.

"That sounds even better! I'll do my best then, Kurogasa!" L'Arachel chirped up before she walked away.

"Alrighty, then on to you Garcia. With your age and the experience you've gotten over the years, you should've been a warrior by now." I told him.

"Yes I should, but for my son's sake, I left the army so I can take care of him. And he had become a good warrior, which makes me proud for his hard work. If only I was able to get back in time, maybe I could spend time with my family…" Garcia said looking down for a bit before he laughed a little. "But the past is the past, and we have to let it go. I was happy that you have helped me and my son save us from those bandits, lad."

"Think nothing of it." I waved off. "Well, now I can give ya a Hero Crest and promote you from Fighter to Warrior." I said giving it to him.

"Thank you lad." Garcia thanked.

"No problem. And also, you should consider expanding your weaponry. Maybe learning the bow." I suggested.

"Ah, don't worry about that, lad. I already have a knack on it." Garcia told me before he took his leave.

"What about me?!" Ewan said getting impatient as Knoll calmed the excited pupil down.

"Calm down, young one. I'm sure you'll get your turn when he sees fit…" Knoll comforted him.

"Okay, onto you Joshua. I don't wanna get all mushy, but… you've done your mother proud. Natasha told me that you avenged your mother's death."

"Yeah, I did." he spoke as he tilted his hat before patting his sword around his waist. "But still, if only I returned here faster and told you guys the truth about the rumor, maybe there's still a chance we could save her… sorry if I kept my identity away from you guys for so long. I wanted to tell you about it, but I just can't find the right words to say." he said with a sad smile on his face.

"Nah, that's water under the bridge." I waved off. "But anyways, you're no Myrmidon." I said giving him a Hero Crest. "From now on, you're a Swordmaster."

He took the item from my hand and clenched it tightly before looking at me with his usual smile. "Thanks. Maybe this way, I can live up to my mother's expectations and protect someone that I love now…" Joshua told me.

"Trust me, I know the feeling." I said putting a hand on his shoulder. Joshua looked at me and gave a nod before he turned around and walked away, with a new goal in his mind.

"C'mon! C'mon! Is it _my_ turn yet?!" Ewan said getting impatient.

"Kurogasa, I guess you should promote him first…" Knoll added, as I nodded.

"I guess so." I replied before I looked at the enthusiastic Ewan. "From the day you joined our group, you have proven yourself worthy, Ewan. Your thirst for knowledge and experience is something else, indeed."

"Yeah! I always wanted to be as good as my teacher!" Ewan chirped up. "But recently, I've read some of the books regarding Elder Magic and it sure is getting interesting! I know my teacher wanted me to become a sage, but for once, I wanted to become something else… like a… druid!" Ewan added.

"A druid?!" Knoll asked surprised. "Young pupil, being a druid is something that requires a lot of training and even imbuing yourself with darkness, as your enemy would be light but you are still aligned to anima. Are you sure you want to do it?" He warned him.

"Yeah! 'Cause I believe I can do it!" Ewan added.

"Well, if the kid wants to do it, he'll do it. Congrats kid, you're a Druid." I said giving the ring to him.

"Wohoo!" Ewan cheered.

"I trust you'll train him?" I asked Knoll.

"I will young warrior." Knoll nodded as Ewan jumped happily and ran back towards the group.

"Good. Then it's finally on to you then. Even though, we've only just met, I hear from Ephraim that you're very knowledgeable and proficient with your Dark Magic." I told him.

"Yes, I am. I was once under Prince Lyon's command after all…" Knoll added. "And I've heard from Prince Ephraim about you as well. He told me he personally wanted you to be Princess Eirika's guard, am I correct?" he asked me, which I nodded. "Who would've thought the one that protects the princess was one of the legendary Riders? Yes, I've heard the story from Saleh. And I'm still in shock after hearing it for myself…" Knoll acknowledged.

"Believe me, even _now_, I'm still in shock." I told him. "But enough of that, since you're proficient with your Dark Magic, how about you branch into another profession in the art. Since I made Ewan a Druid, I'll promote to being a Summoner." I said handing him his ring.

"Hm, I've always wanted to try new magic, especially summoning. This would be a good chance for me to learn it…" Knoll nodded before he walked away headed towards the caravan.

"Well, that takes care of that…" I said, impressed with my work.

"Kurogasa, we should get going…" A voice said and when I turned around, it was Eirika right behind me. At first she had her smile on her face, but that was replaced with a surprised look. "My goodness, what happened to you?" she slightly panicked. "Did something happen that caused bruises on your face?"

"Long story…" I smiled. "Don't worry, I'm fine." I assured her before I came up to and kissed her to which she returned. "C'mon, let's get you home."

"R–Right…" she stuttered from my sudden action with a slight blush before both of us headed towards our horse.

* * *

After a long week, dealing with some bandits along the way, and not to mention some ghouls, eventually we've reached back to the twin's kingdom, Renais. "It's been quite a while since we got here…" Eirika spoke.

"Yes, Princess. It is…" Seth noted.

"Of course! Renais is the kingdom we landed on with Amber and meeting up with Eirika and Seth, right, buddy?" Storm asked me.

"Yep. It's where we first met." I replied recalling the memory.

"But… why does it look a lot different than I can remember?" Ephraim questioned as the whole group stopped and noticed not a single person was out on the street and not to mention some of the houses were either destroyed or burned up.

"Seems like this place was hit by a tornado…" Storm added.

"…or monsters…" Forde joined in.

"Brother…" Eirika said sadly as Ephraim was still dumbfounded about the whole place.

"What has happened to our home? What has happened to Castle Renais? How did it come to be so ruined? So desolated?" Ephraim asked.

"Spies report that the castle is being held by the traitor Orson." Seth replied.

"Orson…" Ephraim sighed, shaking his head. "In retrospect, I realize he's been acting odd for a while now. He seemed so… dispirited."

"Why?" Akira asked.

"It is because his wife died some six months past." Seth replied. "The loss may have been too much for his mind to bear. His love and devotion for his wife were well known among the knights. We know he now sits in the king's former bedchambers. He makes no effort to govern. He takes no meals and admits no one to the chambers."

"Okay, for some reason, I find that a bit disturbing." I said.

"Me too!" L'Arachel said with a slight shiver as she had goosebumps on her arm.

"That's _one_ way to live an 'easy' life…" Kurai pointed out.

"What could he possibly be doing?" Eirika asked worried.

"Probably nothing, for sure…" Kurai muttered.

"I do not know." Seth shook his head lightly. "The spies had no insight into his behavior. He does nothing to deal with the dark creatures and bandits roaming the land."

"Hence, the reason why everyone stayed inside their homes…" I said which he nodded.

"Reports say all of Renais is engulfed in chaos. Region after region is revolting, and Orson's reign is already crumbling. Left alone, it may very well collapse under the weight of its own neglect."

"Well, we better stop Orson now before things _definitely_ get out of hand." I said.

"He's right!" Ephraim agreed. "We cannot allow the situation to reach that point. We're going home, Eirika. We're going to the castle!" Ephraim declared as Eirika nodded in agreement.

"I hear you, Ephraim."

"Um… Ephraim?" a voice said as it was Myrrh who flew towards his direction as he looked at her.

"What is it, Myrrh?" he asked her.

"I–I will fight with you. Now that Selena has returned my dragonstone to me… I'll do what I can… Let's take back your home."

"Are you sure about this?" Eirika asked, looking at the girl who nodded.

"For the two of you… I simply want to help."

"All right. I understand." Ephraim said. "But you must make me a promise. You are never to stray from our side. Got that?"

"Of course…"

* * *

_"What is it, Monica?" Orson asked a figure standing before him softly, closed in his bedchambers. "You seem so happy today. Of course _I_ know what today is. I'd _never_ forget your birthday!" He declared, opening his arms wide. "I have a present for you, dear. I think you'll like it…"_

* * *

_Meanwhile, Riev and Lyon entered the castle with two soldiers allowing them in walking towards the bedchambers. "You know something?" The one with the axe said, "That Orson… He gives me the creeps… What do you think he's doing back there? I've heard lots of bizarre rumors from the master of the mess hall. …Do you think he needs help? Could he be dangerous?"_

_"I don't care." The lance wielder began. "I'm here for the money. As long as I get paid, I'm happy. But on the subject of rumor, have you heard the stories of the secret treasure? There's supposed to be some fabulous wealth hidden in Castle Renais. I tell you, if I find it, I'm gone."_

* * *

_"Heh heh heh…" Riev let out as he entered the bed chambers, closing the door behind him, while Orson turned his head to see him. "It does my heart good to see you looking so happy, Orson." He smiled widely. "See what joy your treachery has brought you? I told you treason would be sweet."_

_"…Get out. This is Monica and my place." Orson growled. "I will not have our home disturbed by anyone. I did as you asked. I betrayed Renais. My promise has been kept."_

_"Heh heh heh…" Riev chuckled, smirking. "How long are you going to continue this nonsense? Eirika and Ephraim have joined forces. Even now, their united forces and the Riders march toward the capital, toward you."_

_"Eirika?"_

_"You can't imagine they'll forgive you for your treachery, can you?" Riev continued. "I expect the sin of your betrayal has shattered your entire family's name. And after all you did to free your wife from the cold clutches of the grave… It's a shame she'll be sent back, dangling from the hangman's noose."_

_"No!" Orson exclaimed. "That _can't_ happen–"_

_"Heh heh heh… Oh, but it _can_, and it _will_." Riev interrupted. "Unless you do something to stop it. You understand what is required, don't you? You have your orders, Orson. Heh heh heh…"_

_Orson could only growl as Riev turned and left. He then turned to the figure in the room. "…Monica, I'm sorry. I have something I must do. Please wait for me here. Oh, darling, don't look so sad. I'll be back soon, and then I'll never leave. I must do this to protect our happiness. You understand, don't you? All right then. I'll be back." He said, bowing once before leaving. The figure in the room never spoke nor moved._

* * *

_At the front of the room, Lyon was waiting as Riev walked out from the chamber where Orson stayed. It was then Lyon took a glimpse inside the room and saw the figure in it, surprising him for a bit. "Heh heh heh!" Riev chuckled. "He believes that thing is his wife. Aren't people amusing?" he added as Lyon held his head, crying in pain. Riev was amused for a bit before spoke again. "Oh my, your nasty little illness rearing its ugly little head again? There's no need to worry. The pain will pass shortly. Leave everything to your humble servant, Riev. Heh heh heh!" the old man chuckled before both of them teleported to another place._

* * *

"Oh man… I expected the castle to be rundown… but not _this_ rundown…" I muttered in disbelief looking at Renais Castle.

"This is horrible…" Eirika said surprised to see the interior of the castle as she covered her mouth with her hand. The whole place has been wrecked, possibly of the entrance of thieves, most of the valuables around here were stolen, lots of decorations were torn up and more importantly, there were a lot of dead bodies lying all over the place, probably from Renais soldiers as flies were all over the place. Amber couldn't help but have the urge to vomit as Storm ended up escorting her outside for a moment to let her take a breather.

"Looks like somebody needs a makeover on this place…" Mikoto joked.

"Mikoto–chan, read the mood." Akira scolded a bit.

"Indeed…" L'Arachel added. "This is just awful…"

"O divine light, is this, the fate of darkness that has been looming in this area?" Artur said sadly.

"We're _definitely_ cleaning this place up after we beat Orson. No ifs, ands, or buts about it. This place is a mess!" Storm said.

"I really hope it's only the front and not at other places…" Tethys hoped.

"I bet, judging by the mass amount of these dead guys, it could either be Grado's soldiers that were hired by Orson or either–" Joshua added before I intervened.

"–an Undead."

"I beg to differ, but I thought all of the Undead have been sealed, as you've stated before, young lad…" Father Moulder pointed out.

"All but one." I muttered. "Joker…"

"Joker?" Ephraim asked in confusion. "You mean, a jester, correct?"

"No, not _that_ one, the Joker Undead; one of our main enemies that is still on the loose…" I told him as Saleh understood what I was saying.

"The strongest being of them all…" he added.

"I–Is it _that_ strong?" Neimi stuttered.

"Yeah, _really_ strong, Neimi…" Akira told her, which she had a slight shiver before Colm approached and calmed her down.

"From the looks of it, these corpses were decomposed for quite a while…" Lute analyzed.

"And the possibility of the Joker Undead escaping to another place casually is high…" Kurai added.

"So, what could this mean?" Melissa–sempai asked.

"Probably another Trial Undead would take in his steed…" Gilliam added.

"Probably." I said. "Still, I thought by now, guards will be guarding this place. We haven't seen one guard at all."

"Something tells me things are not going to be pretty once we encounter them…" Innes informed us.

"Shall we get a move on, then?" Duessel asked as we continued to journey forth towards the throne room while Eirika remained at my side.

"How much longer does this war have to continue…?" she asked sadly after seeing the corpses around us.

"I don't know…" I said wrapping my arm around her to hold her close. "But hopefully, it will be soon."

We continued walking all over the castle, for enemies that might appear, but still there's no one around! This is ridiculous! For some reason, it's too all easy. "Seriously, what's been going on here while you twins were away?" I asked.

"We've been busy with the war, remember? Finding out the truth of their invasion while sealing up more Undead…" Tana chirped.

"From the looks of it, there isn't much trouble but to go straight to the leader…" Cormag added.

"I agree…" Knoll acknowledged as we continue to venture on.

* * *

A little further, we continued to pass through the corridor, with more bodies piled up everywhere, up to the point, where the stench has really gotten worse than before. Eventually we've reached the Throne Room and just as we expected, there was Orson, sitting on the throne, looking at the view with his… lifeless eyes? "…I won't let you come between us." Orson said, seated on the throne. "Monica and I will live here happily together. Forever…"

"Orson…" Ephraim let off, pointing his lance at the traitor. "You will move from that place. That is my father's seat. It is his throne… You've no right to sit there."

"It is mine and Monica's now." Orson replied. Monica… That must be Orson's wife. But hold on, Monica is dead. How could she still be alive? He then shifted his attention to the knights of Renais, to be more precise, Seth. "Seth… so you've come as well, have you?"

"Sir Orson." Seth acknowledged.

"You're an impressive knight, Seth. You would sacrifice your life for king and country. Not even a moment's pause." he praised before his expression returned back to a soulless look. "It's a pitiful, unrewarding life, through and through."

"Sir Orson! You betrayed your master, Prince Ephraim, to Grado. Have you forgotten what it means to be a knight?" Kyle questioned him as Orson scoffed.

"Kyle… You know nothing… I am happy now." he told him as Forde also stepped forward.

"Why did you have to betray us? Your departed wife is weeping in shame!" Forde told him as Orson chuckled.

"You're wrong, Forde. My wife is happy. We are so _very_ happy!" Orson rejoiced.

"This is just plain creepy if you ask me…" Mikoto said as she hid behind Akira.

"Somebody needs to call a happy place for him…" Kurai muttered.

"What's it gonna take for you to see reason, Orson?" I asked stepping forward and ahead of the group.

"Reason? I don't _need_ one, just as long as Monica and I remain together…" Orson replied as two figures in dark cloaks approached and stood next to him. "I see you all as a threat to separate me and Monica. And Princess Eirika, if anyone could understand my feelings it _might_ be you. For the one I love… I betrayed everything. My country, my lord and master… Everything…"

"I know how it feels like to lose someone that I care the most…" she replied before looking back at him. "But that does not mean we can't move on with our lives! I already let go of my past and accepted as it is, even if it hurts thinking about it!"

"Eirika…" I got out.

"It seems like we have got ourselves more fools entering the fray…" one figure said.

"Yes, I hope they can give us a worthy challenge than those knights we've killed out there…" the other figure spoke before both of them turned to Orson.

"Will you allow us to fight them?" The cloaked figures asked in unison.

"Of course," Orson replied. "Kill them…" And with that, the two cloaked figures took off their cloaks to reveal… Trial Undead D and E?!

"We've got his permission and we're ready to take your lives out!" the Trial D Undead said to us as it had a spiked helmet and its mask somehow resembled Darth Vader with a pair of tubes attached on its cheeks and it continued to spread all over its black armor, greaves and thighs. There are also a few bolts on his thighs and bracers. This is the Capture Undead, as its fists were already a force to be reckoned with…

"Let the hunting games… begin." Trial E Undead spoke as it had a silver helmet that only covered half of its face with red lenses, a fully equipped armor with spiked shoulder pads and a grey core at the middle of his chest, a fully protected lower armor, and a pair of black greaves and bracers. On its left wrist, it was mounted with some sort of a machine gun. This is the Shooting–Type Undead, a great marksman.

Orson stood up from his seat and began to turn away. "If you are here to kill me, Prince Ephraim, follow me so we can have our own duel…"

"Guys!" I called out to the Riders as they nodded and came to my side. We then placed our Ace cards in the buckles, excluding Kurai who held up his card and pulsing noises were made.

"Henshin!"

**TURN/OPEN UP**

**CHANGE**

Seven holograms appeared right in front of us as they slowly pulled back towards us before we were donned in our armor. Slowly, both the Trial Undead walked down casually as a swarm of DarkRoaches swarmed the whole throne room. "Seems like we're not alone…" Garcia pointed out as Dolza laughed.

"Gwah ha, ha! I got some toys to chop up!" Dolza said.

"Yes and with my newly acquired light magic, I shall turn these things into dust!" L'Arachel added.

"Just be sure to not to inhale those gases, like Kurai spoke…" Rennac reminded both of them before Ephraim moved forward.

"I'll face Orson; you guys handle things down here!" Ephraim told us before Seth, Kyle and Forde followed him.

"Allow us to assist you if there are DarkRoaches trying to ambush you!" Seth offered before the three followed suit.

"Blade, the Missing Aces will handle the copycat Undead that wanted to become Blade in the Hyper Battle Video. You guys will handle the King Hunter Undead." Lance told me as he prepared his lance.

"Alright, let's do this!" I said then we all charged towards the DarkRoaches and Trial Undead.

* * *

_On the roof of the castle, both men confronted each other as Ephraim and Orson took out their lances and got into their stances. "Prince Ephraim, you never _did_ know when to quit. Renais is already lost. It's too late… but knowing you can be a stubborn type, the only way to make you obey my demands is to _force_ you…" he warned him as his soulless eyes looked at Ephraim._

_"Sir Orson… I'm sorry for your loss and I know your dedication serving Renais is because of your love and devotion for your wife, but just because she passed away, doesn't mean you can turn your back on us and keep your delusional dream alive!" Ephraim shouted._

_"You truly… don't understand me at all…" Orson replied before the two clashed lances and sparks were made each time the weapons clashed. Ephraim gave out a diagonal slash to hit him, which Orson retaliated with a block and a quick elbow onto the prince's face. He then advanced and tried to deliver the killing blow, which Ephraim sidestepped and returned a punch onto Orson's face, causing the man to stumble back a few times. The battle continued on as Seth, Kyle, and Forde eventually walked out from the entrance of the roof and witnessed the duel between the two._

_"Prince Ephraim! Let us assist you!" Kyle offered._

_"No Kyle! This is _my_ fight!" Ephraim denied._

_"But Prince Ephraim–" Seth tried._

_"I said NO!" Ephraim snapped as he dodged a swing from Orson's lance and retaliated with one of his own, which caused Orson to block as well._

_"Well, you heard the prince…" Forde shrugged as the three noticed the DarkRoaches heading towards their direction._

_"If it is his wish, then, we shall defeat these creatures to make sure it doesn't interfere with his battle." Seth said as he drew out his sword. "Come, Kyle and Forde! Let us slay them out!"_

* * *

**KICK**

**THUNDER**

The holograms of Kick Locust and Thunder Deer entered my armor.

**LIGHTNING ****BLAST**

As I stabbed my Rouzer on the ground, I immediately launched myself high to the sky and tried to deliver my kick onto it but to my surprise, the Undead swiped me away like a fly, and I crashed towards the nearby wall.

"Blade!" Kurai shouted as he advanced and swung his Arrow on it. The Undead only parried with its bracers before it also attacked him with its deadly fists. Once he saw the opening, he immediately blocked the attack to the side, and Chalice was wide open before delivering the punch straight onto his stomach, creating a shockwave before he also ended crashing next to me and landed on the ground, grunting in pain.

"Is that the very best you Riders can do?" the Trial D Undead mocked before a few shots hit his head. When he looked to the right, Garren was shooting at him, which at one point didn't flinch at all as it slowly made its way towards Garren.

"Oh crap… better give more fire power!" Garren said as he quickly roused three cards.

**BULLET**

**RAPID**

**FIRE**

The holograms of Bullet Armadillo, Rapid Pecker, and Fire Fly entered his armor.

**BURNING SHOT**

"Eat fireballs!" Garren shouted pulling the trigger shooting multiple balls of fire at the Trial D Undead which hit its target head on… but the Trial D Undead still walked towards Garren casually as if it was nothing. "Nani?!"

"Hmph, you have to do better than that…" the Undead reminded him before he grabbed his neck and choke slammed him to the ground. He then threw him upwards, driving a straight punch on his chest before he crashed to the wall nearby. It then shifted to Leangle as it slowly makes its way towards her. "Now then… onto you…"

"Oh dear…" Leangle said worriedly.

"Leangle!" Chalice grunted trying to get to her, but he was still in pain.

"Uh… let's see, how about this?" Leangle said as she roused two cards.

**SCREW**

**BLIZZARD**

The holograms of Screw Mole and Blizzard Polar entered her armor.

**BLIZZARD GALE**

"Please, let this work." Leangle hoped as she shot out snow from both her hands, and freezing the Undead in its place.

At first, it seemed like it was going to work as slowly, ice started to form around it but it continued to march forward, ignoring the ice that was made around it, as the ice cracked out, shattering in the process, much to her surprise. And before she knew it, the Trial Undead was already right in front of her as it blocked her attack to the side, canceling her attack before delivering a one–two attack on her helmet and then her chest, forcing her to crash to the wall… and it hasn't finished yet.

"Leangle!" Chalice cried out as he slowly pushed himself up as it delivered the strongest blow on her, causing the wall behind her to be destroyed and Leangle fell off from the second floor to the first floor, canceling her transformation as she was knocked out cold from the blow. "MELISSA!"

"One down… three to go…" the Trial D Undead looked at us and turned around before advancing towards us as we're barely trying to stand after the attack.

"Melissa!" Natasha exclaimed as Joshua noticed it and slashed another DarkRoach before grabbing her hand.

"Come on! We better check up on her before those DarkRoaches get to her first!" Joshua told her before the two head out towards the corridor.

"You bastard!" I growled as I slowly stood up. "Looks like I have no choice but to use this!" I said attaching my Rouze Absorber to my arm and took out the two cards needed.

**ABSORB QUEEN**

I then slid the second card across the reader.

**EVOLUTION KING**

At that point, everyone including the DarkRoaches and Missing Ace Riders and both Trial Undead stopped at what they're doing as, the Evolution Caucasus plaque covered the Queen card and I glowed radiantly. The cards came out of my Blay Rouzer and circled around me a few times until eventually they turned golden and started to go to their places into me donning in the gold armor. The Magnet Buffalo, Tackle Boar, and Mach Jaguar plaques were on my left leg. The Thunder Deer, Metal Trilobite, and Kick Locust plaques were on my right. The Absorb Capricorn plaque was on my left shoulder armor and going down my left arm, the Slash Lizard plaque. The Fusion Eagle plaque was on my right shoulder armor and going down, the Time Scarab and the Beat Lion plaque. On my chest armor the large blue Spade symbol with the gold Evolution Caucasus symbol on it, having a small gold spade too appeared. The Change Ace card was still in my belt. Finally, my helmet, changed from one horn to three horns, as if I was wearing a crown. The King Rouzer appeared in my hand as I gripped it tightly.

I was in King Form. Everyone but the, Riders, Undead and DarkRoaches looked at me in awe.

"King Form…" Trial D Undead muttered.

"Whoa! Cool armor!" Ewan gawked.

"Now _there's _something you don't see every day." Rennac said a bit impressed.

"Amazing… Amelia said in awe.

"Oh boy, he's getting serious…" Lance said before he dodged one of the few shots coming out from Trial E Undead as he and other Missing Aces lead it to another place.

"Kurogasa…" Eirika got out amazed by my new form. Of course, she hasn't seen it, because she was knocked out cold the other day by that bastard whose name I won't mention. Her attention then focused back on a DarkRoach as she dodged one of the swings from it before stabbing its chest with her rapier, causing it to turn into green mist and she immediately took a step back.

"Don't count me out just yet!" Chalice joined in while holding his stomach as he held a card onto his hand and roused it onto his Rouzer at his belt.

**EVOLUTION**

With the declaration, all twelve of his cards conjured out from his side deck, circling around him before it entered his armor, making him don in his Wild Chalice form. "I'm not going easy on you this time!" Wild Chalice declared as he held his Wild Slasher on both his hands, getting into a stance despite his injury.

"Time to bring out the big guns!" Garren also joined in as he had his Rouze Absorber onto his arm and slotted in a card.

**ABSORB QUEEN**

With the sound of the pulse heard from his gadget, he swiped the card to initiate his form.

**EVOLUTION KING**

A rectangular hologram conjured right in front of him as the Evolution Giraffa plaque covered the Queen card. When the hologram passed through him, he entered his King Form, wielding the bazooka. "Big bro, I think I noticed something about this Undead…" he spoke.

"What is it?"

"I think this one is getting stronger by the souls it feeds on, hence the reason why my Burning Shots won't work on it…" he told me.

"And if my hunch is correct, the three of us under this form should do the trick…" Chalice added.

"Resistance is futile… give it up…" the Trial D Undead threatened us.

"Not a chance! Chalice, think you can distract it long enough for both Garren and I to unleash our Royal Straight Flush attacks?" I asked him.

Wild Chalice stepped forward, throwing one of the sickles before catching it. "You better make it snappy…" he muttered before both he and the Undead battled at the middle. With two Wild Slashers in hand, he attacked it in different directions, creating sparks on it but didn't flinch one bit. It tried to deliver another one of its deadly fists on it, but Chalice was able to block it with both of his sickles, causing him to skid back. Without giving up, he immediately dashed forward onto the Undead, trying to stall some more time for us to charge up.

Garren kneeled down and took his aim onto the Undead; with five cards in his hands. "Are you ready, big bro?"

"I sure am!" I said as the five refined cards came out of my armor and into my hand and slotted them into our respective Rouzers.

**SPADE/DIAMOND TEN**

**SPADE/DIAMOND JACK**

**SPADE/DIAMOND QUEEN**

**SPADE/DIAMOND KING**

**SPADE/DIAMOND ACE**

With a strong uppercut from the Trial D Undead to Chalice's jaw, the latter stumbling for a bit, it noticed that both of the Kings' hologram cards were right in front of him as I got into my stance while Garren was ready to pull the trigger.

**ROYAL STRAIGHT FLUSH**

"Take this!" Garren shouted as he pulled the trigger, causing the red beam to pass through each hologram. When it reaches towards the end, it was large enough to engulf the whole Trial D Undead, but it was still able to stand strong instead of walking towards us. "Big bro, now!"

"Right!" I said as I charged at the Trial D Undead passing through each card as the King Rouzer got stronger each time. When I got to the end, I made a huge slash on the Trial D Undead who screamed in pain before exploding and lay motionless on the ground. "You're finished…" I said taking out a Common Blank and dropped it on the Undead sealing it up.

* * *

_As Natasha continued to heal the wounds on the unconscious Melissa, Joshua continued to fend off the DarkRoaches as he backed off. "Darn, I knew we should've brought along some reinforcements…" he cursed himself a bit before he noticed the DarkRoaches suddenly disappeared in front of him. "…or maybe not…"_

_"Melissa!" a voice cried out from above as they noticed Wild Chalice jump off from the second floor and landed on the first floor before canceling his transformation, holding her in his arms as he continued to wake her up. "Oi! Talk to me, Melissa!"_

_"Kurai, please calm down…" Natasha said trying to calm him down as she felt a pat on her shoulder. She looked to see Joshua, who shook his head lightly to not disturb the both of them._

_"C'mon, Melissa, wake up! If you don't, I…" Kurai tried to find the right words. "…I don't know what to do without you! At first, I always thought you were nothing more than an annoyance, especially with that sinister smile of yours! But, the more I learned about you, the more I feel like you're the most important person to me than anyone else!" he shouted as he held her close to him. "I LOVE YOU, darn it! WAKE… UP!" he said as tears flowed from his eyes. "Please… wake up…"_

_At that point, Melissa's eyes fluttered open. "Huh…?"_

_As soon as he heard her voice, he looked at her as tears still ran out from his eyes. "Melissa… I love you… I can't live without you or rather seeing you get hurt…" he confessed._

_Melissa smiled gently as she placed her hand on Kurai's cheek and wiped his tears. "I love you too… Kurai…"_

_Kurai couldn't help but kiss her much to Mellissa's surprise, but she accepted it as it is, as Natasha and Joshua witnessed the scene between the two._

_"In the end, he finally opens up to her…" Joshua said with a smile as he tilted his hat a bit to the back._

_"That's right… and I'm happy for my friend…" Natasha added with a smile on her face._

* * *

_Meanwhile, Trial E Undead continued to shoot out volleys of shots onto the three of them, causing them to tumble down the grand stairs and land onto the flat ground as Trial E Undead just snickered. "Heh, with the souls that I've absorbed, I feel like an ant is biting my skin…" it mocked as the Missing Aces slowly pushed themselves up, trails of smoke appearing on their armor._

_"Geez, this thing doesn't give up!" Glaive complained._

_"Well, we're not giving up either!" Larc grunted._

_"That's right. Time to go into Trial Forms ladies!" Lance said as the others nodded. They then took out their cards and roused them._

**TRIAL... A/B/C**

_After they roused the cards on their respective Rouzers, their armor glowed radiantly before they were in their Trial Forms and the Trial E Undead couldn't help but have an interested look on its face. "Oh? It seems like you have gotten serious, huh? Very well, I might as well get serious as well–" before the Undead could even finish his words, he felt a rather large fireball hit right behind him causing it to tumble down the stairs. When the three Missing Aces look at the top, they noticed it was Saleh and Lute that casted the fireball spell as she boastfully clasped her hand, satisfied with her work._

_"Mind if we give you some assistance?" Saleh asked._

_"Saleh, Lute!" Lance shouted as the Undead slowly pushed itself up._

_"Why you–" before it could even finish its words again, two light spells and a dark sphere were casted and hit onto him in three different directions, causing it to lay on the ground once again._

_"Geez, why don't you just stay down already?!" L'Arachel complained._

_"Whoa! My first dark magic and it worked!" Ewan said impressed about himself as Artur looked upon the Undead as well._

_"We have evened up the odds…" Artur noted._

_"You sure did!" Larc added as she flew up high with her butterfly wings._

_"Gr… why are you mortals are disturbing my hunt?!" the Undead complained. When it tried to raise its gun, it noticed a hand that held him and it turns out, it was a phantasm of some sort and Knoll was controlling it._

_"Hear me, spirits! Heed my command and grasp over the creature before you!" Knoll said the magic words as more spirits appeared and piled onto the Undead._

_"Get them off me!" the Undead complained._

_"You two, Climax Time!" Lance shouted._

* * *

**BGM: Climax Heroes: Ryuki Theme**

_"Right!" Larc and Glaive said as they roused their cards._

**MIGHTY**

**MIGHTY**

_"And me too!" Lance said rousing his card as well._

**MIGHTY**

_Three holograms of their Mighty cards conjured right in front of them as two of them have been absorbed into Glaive and Larc's Rouzers and the Mighty Impact were absorbed into Lance's Bracers. As Larc took her aim, Glaive activated her Speedster, causing her to be in a blur as she slashed over its body as Knoll canceled out his spirits, causing to have multiple 'A' sparks onto its body before she suddenly stopped right behind it, a few meters apart. At that time, Larc shot out her Mighty Ray onto the Undead, causing it to take the damage directly before Lance advanced and delivered his frosty punch on it, turning its body into a solid chunk of ice. After taking a leap back, Glaive delivered her final blow before the 'A' slashes glowed and exploded on impact, leaving the Undead motionless on the ground._

"_Whew… that was good." Glaive said before taking out a Common Blank and sealed the Undead._

**End BGM**

* * *

_At the rooftop, after Seth delivered the thrust of his lance onto one of the DarkRoaches, Kyle delivered his slash onto them and Forde managed to kick one of them and create the domino effect, eventually, all of them disappeared without a trace as Forde wiped the sweat off his forehead._

_"That takes care of that…" Forde commented._

_"I guess the Riders have done their job…" Seth added before Kyle noticed something._

_"The prince!" he shouted as the three men ran back towards the door and once they open the door, they noticed both men have thrusts their lance on each other. As Ephraim only received a cut on his side from Orson's lance, Orson, on the other hand, was pierced on his stomach by Ephraim's lance as Orson was in disbelief._

_"No… this cannot be…" Orson muttered._

_"I'm sorry Orson…" Ephraim muttered sadly before yanking the lance out hard._

_Orson dropped his lance and placed both of his hands on his wound to apply pressure on it as he wobbled towards the edge of the castle._

_"My prince, are you alright?!" Kyle slightly panicked as Ephraim checks the wound and it wasn't serious at all._

_"I'm fine. Just got myself a graze on my side…" he told them._

_"Orson!" Seth cried out as the other three looked to see that he was about to go over the edge._

_"Monica…" he whispered before he fell to his demise. The four men ran towards him but as soon as they reached the edge and looked down, they already knew it was too late to save him._

_"Orson…" Ephraim said sadly._

* * *

Soon, everyone met up at the Throne Room and we were all getting our injuries treated. "Ite, te, te, te…" I winced.

"Hold still…" Eirika chided gently while applying some Vulnerary on my bruises.

"Sorry… can't help it…" I answered.

Eirika giggled a bit before she gently applied some more on the bruises. In the meantime, thanks to Knoll, he was able to summon his phantasms and possess all of the corpses inside the castle, to walk out from the castle and pile themselves up. That saved a _lot_ of time as the others continued cleaning the whole area. Ross, Amelia, and Ewan looked at the destroyed wall and they were thinking about something.

"How should we fix this?" Ross asked.

"I don't know… I've never broken down a wall before…" Amelia added.

"And I don't have the right magic to fix it…" Ewan pointed out before the three had a sweat drop.

Everyone who had recovered quickly and after being healed up by Natasha, Father Moulder, L'Arachel and Artur are instantly helping out cleaning the castle, except Kurai who took care of Melissa–sempai on his arms as they are chatting happily. This is one of those rare times I've seen Kurai smiled happily over something. I wonder if something happened when he was down there.

"Everyone seems busy… Father Moulder wanted to heal you, but I told him to have him take care of the others while I'm taking care of you…" Eirika added.

"Thanks Eirika…" I smiled.

"Princess Eirika." Seth greeted. "I want you to come with me and Prince Ephraim. The castle has been secured. And…"

"What is it?" Eirika asked.

"…This way." Seth said pointing to a hallway. "The hallway leads to your father's bed chambers where Orson was holed up in."

Uh–oh… That can't be good.

* * *

I decided to follow both the twins and Seth to find out what he just found on the king's bedchamber. Once we opened the door though… we weren't expecting _this_ outcome. "…Darling…" the figure spoke as Eirika couldn't help it but cover her mouth in shock.

"W–What the–" I got out.

"You, you're Orson's…" Ephraim said in shock as he couldn't finish his words. In the end, I knew exactly what he's going to say. "…his deceased wife…"

"Darling. Darling. Darling… darling… darling… darling…" the figure said continuing to call out for Orson's name. Eirika couldn't help but cover her face on my chest after seeing this… view.

"This same magic was used to control Emperor Vigarde. She's already dead, and her corpse was used to…" Ephraim tried to explain.

"Who? Who could…," Eirika let off, as tears came to her eyes.

"C'mon, let's get you out of here." I said gently escorting Eirika out. She didn't need to see this. However, as I slowly walked her out, I looked to see Seth and Ephraim.

"…You can't say this thing is _truly_ alive anymore." Seth said. "I'll…"

"No… I'll do it." Ephraim replied. "…The two of them spent every day in here, did they?" He said sadly. "Orson was mad. But I think he was happy." He sighed before thrusting his lance into the woman's chest. In an instant she had turned to dust. Oh man…

I soon got her out of the bed chamber and Eirika continued to cry softly. "It's okay, I'm right here." I told her softly.

"She… She suffered enough… why does she had to suffer more, even _after_ her death?" she asked me as her crying stopped a bit.

"I don't know, but… one thing I _do_ know, is that we're gonna stop this madness." I said as I cupped her chin and had her look at me. "We're gonna get whoever did this. I promise."

"I know… and I believe we can do this…" she replied to me with a smile as I wiped off the tears from her beautiful face. I noticed Ephraim and Seth walked towards the throne room and we decided to follow them for a while. Along the way, both of them are still discussing about it.

"We've finally made it back. Yet…"

"Mmm…" Seth nodded. "We can repair the castle, and what was stolen, we can do without. But the wounds and suffering inflicted upon the people of Renais…"

"Time will heal, but… the damage has already been done." Ephraim sighed, sadly. "I know what I must do. I will set our country right once I am king. I doubt the people will give me a warm reception, though. I _did_ abandon them. All I can do is try to win back their trust, no matter _how_ long it takes…"

"Yeah, and I know you can do it, Ephraim." I assured to him as he looked at me and gave a small nod of agreement. All of a sudden, Akira ran towards our direction as he was happy for some reason.

"Big bro! Quick you better follow me!" Akira demanded.

"Whoa, slow down there, Akira. What's the rush?" I asked trying to calm him down but for some reason, he just held Ephraim's arm and dragged him along with him.

"C'mon! There's something I would like to show you!" he claimed.

* * *

With that we followed Akira to a balcony that was at the front of the castle, and boy, were we in for a surprise. At the castle gates, down below, we saw a lot of people and they were cheering for us. The siblings and I were all in disbelief.

"Prince Ephraim!"

"Princess Eirika!"

"The king has returned!"

"Our king!"

"Glory to Renais! Long live King Ephraim!"

"See? I told _you_ you'd be surprised!" Akira told him as Ephraim looked upon the view that he saw as more of the people of Renais cheered for him.

"…They're not cheering for you. They cheer because Orson's misrule is at an end. They cheer the possibility of a better tomorrow, not the deeds we did today. But how will the hearts of the people move tomorrow and the next day? That is for you to decide." Seth said.

"Brother…" she said slightly worried.

"I will not let their hopes and dreams be shattered again. I _will_ be king." Ephraim said determined as he looked at us with a smile on his face. "Like my father before me, I will dedicate myself to their happiness."

"We know you will." I smiled back.

* * *

So for the past two weeks, the troops and us Riders focused on cleaning and renovating the castle. We went from top and bottom, going through every nook and cranny in there to make it squeaky clean, prim. and proper. Heck, even some of the people from different villages all over the country helped out as well with the cleaning, renovation, and decoration of the castle. By the time we were done, the castle was as good as new.

"Wow, I never thought I'd say this, but this castle is looking brand new!" Amber said impressed.

"Indeed. That, and we had to defend the citizens from the incoming monsters and thieves at the same time… but it was worth it…" Knoll added.

"Phew, all of that hard work to make this place back to its prime is something else!" Amelia added.

"Yeah, if it wasn't for Marisa's clumsiness to delay things further, we could've finished it faster…" Gerik said, as Marisa looked away, blushing in embarrassment.

"That is why I decided to guard the citizens for my blade to taste blood…" Marisa said.

"Well, anyways, now that that is done, Your Highness's, Myrrh, Riders, I want you to come with me to the Throne Room." Seth said.

"I'll go call them!" Amber volunteered before she went off to find them all.

"In the meantime, we better continue on protecting the citizens while we are still here…" Gerik told us as he motioned Amelia and Marisa to follow him and do their duty.

Eventually, all of us Riders, Myrrh and the twins are gathered around the throne room, like Seth mentioned before. "So, uh… why are we here?" Mikoto asked him.

"I think we're going to find out…" Kurai added as Seth looked at the twins.

"Prince Ephraim, Princess Eirika. Before Renais fell, King Fado entrusted me with this message: "Raise the twins' bracelets in the Hall of Kings. The seal will be broken. The resting place of the Sacred Stone will be revealed…"

"I wonder what he meant by that?" Melissa–sempai pondered as the twins understood what the message of their late father meant.

"I understand." Ephraim nodded.

"So we're supposed to raise our bracelets over our heads, right?" Eirika asked.

"Let's try it, Eirika." Ephraim replied, lifting his own hand up and Eirika did the same.

"I'm ready, Ephraim." She replied. At that point, a bright flash shone from the bracelets blinding us for a moment. When the light dimmed down, a grinding sound was heard as the throne itself slid aside, revealing a staircase.

"Whoa…" I got out.

"Kingdom Hearts II anyone?" Mikoto asked pointing out the reference, which was true. While Sora protected Queen Minnie Mouse, she flipped a switch from under one of the arms of the throne and the throne slid aside to reveal a staircase that led to Hall of Cornerstone that held the Cornerstone of Light.

"Not really…" Storm said shaking his head as he didn't understand what Mikoto was trying to say. I guess the only thing that gets into his mind was Kamen Rider and that's it.

"I wonder where the steps lead to." Melissa–sempai asked.

"There's only one way to find out…" Akira said as we all came to a conclusion as we decided to walk downstairs from it and see where it ends.

* * *

Eventually, after a while, we can see the light shone brightly at the end of the hallway and when we've reached the end, I can see the whole room on that area brightening up. "Is that it?" Myrrh asked us.

"There's no doubt about it. This _must_ be it…" Amber pointed out.

I was in no doubt amazed by the room. It looked like we were inside of a cathedral of some sort. Ahead of us was a small altar of some sort, with two statues of kings guarding it; on the left and right of the small altar, was a treasure chest on each side. The Twins, us Riders, and Myrrh went up to the small altar and in front of us was a small pedestal on top of the altar. And on the pedestal was a small blue gem resting on it with a soft glow, light radiating from it gently.

"Ooooooh, shiny~," Mikoto drooled.

"Mikoto–chan, dame desu," Akira reminded her.

"Awwwwwwwww…" Mikoto pouted.

"This is the Sacred Stone of Renais…" Ephraim said as he took from its resting and placed it in his hand.

"Yes. This is one of the five stones that defeated the Demon King." Eirika replied.

"Wow…" I said in awe looking at it. "I could feel its power already just by looking at it. It's gentle yet overwhelming."

"If Lyon had acquired our bracelets, the stone would have been destroyed by now." Ephraim continued. "United, we protected the only power that can help us stop Lyon's insanity."

"Yes. It is the _only_ hope left to us." Eirika added. "Hope for you and me, and the last true hope for peace."

"Well, now that we got it, let's head back up." I suggested. We were about to, until… the Sacred Stone and the bracelets shined brightly! The Riders and I, Myrrh and Seth backed off from the brightness immediately.

"…Huh? Brother, look!" Eirika gasped. "Our bracelets, they're…"

"What _is_ this?" Ephraim wondered. "Are they reacting to the light of the stone?" At that point, the light started streaming out of the stone and surrounded them until it went _in_ them, and _they_ shined brightly. When the light faded… they were in new clothes!

On Ephraim, I noticed that his armor, greaves and bracers that he was wearing was much more refined, as the golden lines and his black armor got swapped between the two but the lines were more detailed than before, which kinds of remind me of Gilgamesh from Fate/Stay Night. On his cape, it was completely replaced with a full red cape and he noticed his spear and small shield he always had were nowhere in sight, much to his surprise. He also had a black suit underneath his armor and he also wore a pair of light metal gloves on his hand and to finish it all off, on his chest armor was a small symbol of a sun.

On Eirika's side, her breast armor expanded up to the point of covering her waist, but still giving her room to move around faster, her leather gloves are in black and it extended up to her elbow as her bracelet remained on the same spot as before, her cape is pure white and longer that reached up to her back. She also had much more decorative long boots, decorated with golden lines that resembled vines of some sort and on the middle of her breast plate, there was a symbol of a crescent moon and… a small suit of spade in the middle of it? She even noticed her rapier was _also_ missing.

Both of them looked at their new armor as they were amazed. "I can't believe the bracelets contain so much power…" Eirika spoke.

"_I_ can't believe what we're seeing here… it was as if both of them are upgraded like us reaching our new form…" Storm added.

"I wonder if Father anticipated all of this long ago." Ephraim pondered. "When I was growing up, I never thought about becoming king. I only wanted to be a good soldier, a good warrior, and the best on the battlefield. Father _never_ understood what I wanted, but… I never understood _him_, either." Everyone was silent at that. "It was the same when Grado invaded Renais. I should have stayed home to defend the kingdom… Instead, I raced off to fight for personal glory." He added now feeling regret.

"Brother…" Eirika said softly. "I don't think you know how well Father understood your feelings. When I last saw him, he was concerned for nothing but your safety…"

"Eirika is correct. King Fado asked after your exploits every day. He always told me what a fine king you would one day make." Seth said.

"Father…" Ephraim muttered.

"Now Prince Ephraim, Princess Eirika. Please follow me. The Sacred Twins of Renais should be near the stone's reliquary." Seth said. He said before walking to each of the chests, pulling a lance from one and a sword from the other. "Ah, here we go. This lance can only be one of the Sacred Twins of Renais." He said before walking up to the prince. "Please, Prince Ephraim, take this sacred relic and feel its weight."

"So this is one of our Sacred Twin relics, is it?" Ephraim began, taking the lance. "I've never seen them. Look, there's a name inscribed here. Siegmund, the Flame Lance," He said.

"And this blade is sister to the lance, the other Sacred Twin of legend." Seth added, passing the sword to Eirika. "Princess Eirika, if you would?"

"Of course," She said, taking the sheathed blade before drawing it out. "There's a name carved here as well. Sieglinde, the Thunder Blade." She said. "These are the ancient weapons of our ancestors– the weapons of heroes. They were enshrined generations ago, to be used only by the king… and only in times of dire need. Such an awful power they possess, and yet we need them to restore peace."

"In other words, our job is getting more and more important than ever, huh?" Kurai asked, as Seth nodded to what he just said.

"I guess we better take things more seriously from now on…" Melissa–sempai smiled.

"Sounds like fun!" Mikoto chirped up.

"With this power emitted from the stone and with new upgrades both of the twins received; the chances for us to defeat the Demon King and Joker Undead would be high…" Akira added.

"This is… the powers from the past Riders…" Myrrh said out loud while looking at the Sacred Stone of Renais.

"C'mon, we better get back up and show it to L'Arachel. Let's hear what she has to say…" I suggested as all of us agreed. All of us then started walking out to leave until…

*CLICK*

"Huh?" Everyone asked. I looked down and saw that I pressed on a square–like outline on the floor. Like a switch of some sort. At that point, a part of the floor I stepped on slid open. I jumped back and it revealed… another set of stairs?

"Eh?! Where did _these_ stairs come from?!" Amber said startled.

"Seth, do you know about this?" Eirika asked him.

"No, this is the first time I've _seen_ such a thing…" Seth informed her.

"This is strange…" Ephraim pondered as we continued to look at the second set of stairs. "I wonder where this one leads to."

"Don't know, let's go anyway." I said.

* * *

All of us started descending down the stairs and when we went in, torches that lined up the walls lit up, one by one, lighting the way. "Okay, that's just plain creepy…" Amber pointed out.

"And with these webs that covered the whole place, I guess this place must have been abandoned for quite a long time…" Ephraim noted.

"Shall we press forward?" Myrrh asked.

"It's the only way to know what's waiting for us at the end of the line…" Kurai spoke as all of us walked forward while the flames from the lined up torches burned the web, making us have less difficulty to navigate ourselves to the long, deep tunnel. When we got to the end of the tunnel, we were in some kind of chamber. In it, a light shone on a stone lectern of some sort. The torches in the chamber lit up and we saw lined up on the walls were seven… tombs of some sort. They had a symbol on each one and it was… it was… no way! It _can't_ be! A Spade?! Diamond?! Heart?! Club?! And a red, yellow, and green A?!

"EEEEEHHH?! Is that _what_ I think it is?!" Storm was surprised to see the tombs right in front of us.

"It has all of our insignias on it!" Akira added.

"Oh my… it seems like the legend Grandmother told us is true _after_ all. This is the resting place of the past Riders that appeared in this world _before_ us…" Melisa–sempai said recalling from what Grandmother told us.

"Of all the surprises we had in the past, this one takes the cake in _my_ book…" Kurai noted.

"Agreed…" Mikoto agreed.

"This is just beyond crazy, cousin!" Amber exclaimed.

"It's all unbelievable…" Ephraim got out.

"No kidding." I answered. "But as much as I'm amazed by this, I wonder what's on that stone lectern." I wondered. We Riders went towards the stone lectern and there was a tome on it. But for some reason, it was locked. At the edge of the book was a small hole. It was small enough for a jewel to fit in.

"Hmph, the only way to break this seal is to literally break it…" Kurai suggested.

"Are you crazy?! You can't just destroy it just like that! What if there's some valuable treasure in it?!" Mikoto said angry as she flailed her arms up and down.

"But… how are we supposed to open it? We don't have any key that will unlock it…" I asked them, which everyone began to think on it. After a while, most of us can't come up with an idea… until Melissa–sempai thought of something.

"I wonder…" she said while looking at the ring that she received from Grandmother. She took it off from her ring finger, taking out the jewel and placed it into the lock. As soon as she inserted it in…

*CLICK!*

"It opened!" I said. With that, I took off the lock and Melissa–sempai placed the gem back into the ring. But before I opened it, the tome seemed to be bookmarked as I saw the red ribbon on a certain page. So I turned to the bookmarked page and there were seven gems embedded into the pages in a heptagon. A blue sapphire in the shape of a Spade, a red ruby in the shape of a Diamond, a pink diamond in the shape of a Heart, a green emerald in the shape of a Clover, and the last three gems were a yellow topaz, red garnet, and green peridot in the shape of an A.

"It seems like Grandmother has passed her hope onto us…" Melissa–sempai pointed out as the seven of us picked up our respective gems out of the book. Mikoto couldn't help but have sparkles in her eyes.

"Ooooooh… shiny~!" Mikoto drooled.

"Kurogasa, what did you find?" Eirika asked me as I turned around and looked at her.

"These gems…" I answered holding it up for her to see and well as the others. "I don't know what they're for." But then that was answered when the seven gems glowed brightly in their respective colors blinding us for a bit. And what happened next, the gems floated up in a circle and then our Change Ace cards came out from rouzers/side decks. They floated around in a circle too and… they're reacting to the gems!

"Say, does this even happen in the series, buddy?" Storm asked me.

"Not in a million years…" I replied before the gems entered the Change Ace cards and suddenly flew towards the tomb, entering it, much to our surprise.

"What's going on? I don't understand…" Myrrh asked the twins.

"I don't know, Myrrh…" Ephraim told her.

"Neither do I…" Eirika replied until all of the sudden, our Buckles were wrapped around us and it already left a pulsing sound on it… without our Change Ace cards!

"This is getting bizarre…" Akira added as he seemed to notice something. "I think it wants us to transform right in front of their tombs…"

"Are you kidding me?! I don't have a card to rouse it!" Kurai complained.

*STOMP!*

"Yeouch!" Kurai cringed as he hopped around.

"Temper, temper…" Melissa–sempai reminded him as Kurai rubbed his toe.

"Just do the gesture of you rousing your card. That should work… I think…" Amber said.

"Should we try it, buddy? The pulsing of our belts is getting stronger than normal…" Storm said.

"Yeah, let's do it guys." I said then we went to our respective tombs and did our poses.

"Henshin!"

**TURN/OPEN UP**

**CHANGE**

As soon as we commenced our Henshin pose, our respective tombs suddenly crumbled down and our usual hologram conjured out from it; the only difference was, instead of a blank hologram in our view, it revealed our insignias on it. It slowly made its way towards us and before we knew it, we're already donned in our armor… with slight changes. We noticed that all of our armors felt lighter than normal as it had less padding on it but being more durable, our bracers and greaves were also in gold color. In Chalice's case, however, instead of having his bracers and greaves in gold color, spikes are on his bracers, just like a praying mantis would have and his antennae on his helmet is longer and wavy in a shape of a thunderbolt. The most distinguishing part of them all is that all of us had cape on our backs, all in our respective bodysuit colors and the insignias of our Change Aces on the capes.

"Whoa! I can feel the energy coming out from this armor!" I said impressed.

"You all better check your rouse cards too… it's just like our King Form cards…" Kurai told us as we all inspected our cards and he's right! Every single one of our cards are now more refined and filled with more colors and the suits on the cards are more prominent as it let out a faint glow and the Missing Ace's card names are also in gold color, much to our surprise.

"This is freakin' awesome!" Amber cheered.

"No kidding…" Akira added.

"I see… so, the legend coming from Grandmother was true, _after_ all…" Seth noted.

"Yeah, and I can feel the power of their presence as they just stand there, doing nothing…" Ephraim pointed out.

"Guys, look at our Rouzers!" Storm exclaimed.

When I looked at it, I noticed that our Rouzers were already in Jack Form, much to our surprise. It was finely decorated and even our AP started at Jack Form's level, except for Chalice and the Missing Aces. Chalice's Arrow was much longer with spikes on its edges, to give more powerful slashes and faster rate of swinging as it was already mounted with another Rouzer to rouse on it. Lance's Rouzer has been modified into bloody red lance with black lines around the shaft and Rouzer with a glowing red tip of his lance, which reminded me of Gae Bolg. Larc's Rouzer was modified into our modern world crossbow and there is also a blade on it to allow her to slash and shoot her arrows at the same time. Finally, Glaive's Rouzer has more sharpened edge with gold decorations on the blade as the tip of her Rouzer split into two.

"Sugei~~!" Glaive said impressed.

"This is all just too surreal." Akira said.

"I wonder though. Did the past Riders _knew_ that something like this war would happen again?" I pondered.

"Beats me… it all must have something to do with the freaky portal we entered in the first place…" Lance said before we canceled out our transformation and returned back to our civilian form.

"Well then, I think that's enough surprises for one day. Should we go back up? The others are waiting for us and might get worried if we don't return to them…" Seth said.

"Right. Let's go then." I said.

* * *

_While L'Arachel was waiting for their return at the Throne Room, Innes spotted and approached the lone princess. "L'Arachel."_

_She heard a voice and turned around to see Innes in front of her. "Yes?"_

_"Are you sure you're supposed to be here in the first place?" he asked her getting a bit suspicious about her activity. "I wonder if you're _truly_ here with the permission of your superiors."_

_"Of–Of course I am!" L'Arachel stuttered as she stood her ground. "What gives you the right to speak to me in such a manner?!"_

_"Well, I have heard a bit about your wild behavior amongst the troop recently…" Innes said, which made L'Arachel have a blush as she looked away from him._

_"H–How rude you are! If I were not a holy woman, I would beat you senseless!" she threatened him._

_"How savage _you_ are." he expressed before he looked away and began to ponder. "Perhaps you could learn self–control by observing Frelia's Pegasus Knights. Yes, there's something I'd like to show you. When the Frelia's pegasi gather in Walles Forest… It's a spectacle of such beauty…" he added._

_Feeling unsatisfied, L'Arachel was able to recover her blush and looked at Innes with a smile. "If it is beauty you seek, then Rausten is second to none!" she began to boast. "Do you know of Rausten's lofty peak Mount Mimir? I pity those who die without having gazed upon its breathtaking beauty."_

_Innes pondered for a bit as he nodded his head a few times. "…If you recommend it so highly, then yes, I _would_ indeed like to see it."_

_"Yes. That would be splendid indeed." she told him. "But there are many _more_ equally beautiful places in Rausten."_

_"Then perhaps you should tell me about them for future reference. And in return, I shall take time to tell you about the beautiful places in _my_ kingdom." Innes offered, which she delightfully accepted._

_"Yes, I would love to hear more." L'Arachel replied back. Somehow, L'Arachel began to have feelings for her rival…_

* * *

After a while, we returned to the surface back in the Throne Room again where everyone was waiting for us. "Hey there! Miss us?" I chirped.

"What _took_ you guys so long?" Tana asked.

"Long story…" I replied back to her as L'Arachel stepped forward.

"Have you found the Sacred Stone?" she asked Eirika.

"Yes. Here it is…" Eirika replied, pulling the stone out of her pocket.

"Wow!" L'Arachel said clasping her hands together. "It _truly_ is spectacular. This goes some way to brighten the dark shadows that loom over us."

"Our counties' Sacred Stones have been shattered by Grado's men." Innes added. "The Stone of Renais is our last remaining weapon."

"No, it's not." L'Arachel corrected. "You have forgotten the stone of my beloved Rausten. If we go there, we might double our chances. I shall be guide to you."

"Yeah, hopefully, you won't get us lost…" Kurai muttered under his breath.

*STOMP!*

"Iteeeeeeeeeeeeeee!"

"Now, now Kurai, you should stop doing that." Melissa–sempai smiled as Kurai rubbed his toe again.

"Still, we will count on you to lead the way, L'Arachel." Eirika said.

"Of course." The L'Arachel said. "And you will all be welcome to stay in the palace. And, Eirika, you shall be my guest in my own private quarters! Tomorrow we will be on our way!"

* * *

Dinner time arrived once again and everybody was enjoying the meal made from Tana and Amber. While the rest of them enjoyed their meal, Tana was speaking to her brother. "Did you see me out on the battlefield, Innes?" she asked him as he silently took a bite of his food. "I _knew_ I made the right decision, coming out here. I feel like our strategy is becoming much better, as is our fighting. You do agree, don't you, Innes?"

Innes placed down his spoon on the plate. "I grant you some small credit for your achievements on the field of war. However, I still insist that you return to Frelia."

"WHY?!" Tana shouted, gaining attention around the table.

"It's true that you've gained some experience out on the battlefield." Innes calmly explained before giving her an angry glare. "But your ignorance of the world around you is simply appalling. It must be tough for a pampered castle brat like you to interact with soldiers." he told her, making her angry.

"If you can say something like that to your own sister, I'm more worried about _you_!" she expressed as she looked down for a moment. "Even when you're right– and your judgment is good, I know– you're so blunt that I don't think many people will want to listen to you."

"Never mind about _me_. This is about _you_, Tana." he told her. "If you keep traveling with us, someone might take advantage of your naivety! More than anything, I can't allow that Ephraim to–"

"What are you _saying_?!"

"Even if you're not interested in him in the slightest, I… I simply do not want to see you get hurt!" he told her as her temper reached her limit.

"If that's the way you're going to be, I just won't talk to you anymore!" Tana cried out before she ran away from the table, as Innes couldn't stop her in time.

"Tana, wait. I'm not finished!" he tried, but she continued to ignore him as he looked down slightly angry. "Blast…"

"Oh my… it seems like the siblings are at it again…" Melissa–sempai added.

"Maybe I should try to console Tana… is it okay?" Eirika asked me.

"Yeah, sure go ahead." I told her.

"I'll be taking my leave, then…" Eirika said to me with a smile before she headed out towards her friend.

"I just hope Tana will be alright…" Mikoto said worried.

* * *

_"Oh, Brother… I'm going to get you for this, Brother…" Tana growled angrily at the hallway as Eirika managed to catch up with her._

_"Tana, wait!" Eirika called out, as Tana turned around and see her._

_"Eirika…" she got out._

_"Please don't take too seriously about what your brother just said…" Eirika consoled her._

_"My brother is so cruel! Listen to what he said to me! He told me that I was just in everyone's way…" Tana told her as she looked down. "He said I should just go back home to Frelia…"_

_"Oh dear…"_

_"I'm so depressed! He's always like that, too! He just makes fun of me and insults me and teases me. I hate him so much!" Tana let out angrily as Eirika held her friend's hand._

_"Tana, your brother has a strange way of showing his concern… But he _is_ concerned about you. You can see that, can't you?" Eirika pointed out as Tana looked at her friend before looking away._

_"Yes, but…"_

_"Even_ my_ brother gets angry at me when I put myself at risk, even for a good cause." she told her friend. "Your brother is harsh and rough of speech, but he doesn't want you to get hurt."_

_"Well… I suppose you're right." Tana replied as both of them hugged happily to each other. "Thanks, Eirika."_

_"You're welcome…" she told her before the two broke off._

_"Eirika… I still envy you."_

_"Me?" Eirika blinked._

_"You and Ephraim are so close… You understand one another." she replied as she looked away from her friend. "It must be… so nice. I wish my brother and I shared that kind of connection."_

_"Well, we are twins, you know." Eirika said. "I think _that_ makes us slightly different from normal siblings."_

_"But you two never fight or anything, do you? How do you two maintain such a close relationship?" Tana asked her._

_"I… Well… Isn't that normal for twins?" she replied with a sweat drop._

* * *

"Hmm…" Ephraim pondered.

"Something wrong Ephraim?" I asked him.

"It's nothing… I was just worried about Tana, that's all…" he told me before he looked at me. "And it seems to me, your relationship with my sister is getting closer, even up to the point of personally mending your wounds." he replied sincerely.

"Well, your sister _is_ a kind–hearted person." I said.

"Yes, she is…" Ephraim said with a slight laugh. "You know, like I told you before, I won't hold it against you about what I said the other day…" he reminded me, causing to have a blush about it.

"Yeah, I know…"

Ephraim then stood up and walked out from his chair. "I think I should go check up on her, to see if she's calmed down…" he said before he left.

Storm then walked in and looked at me with his usual confused look. "What did you talk with Ephraim about? And why is your face red?"

"I don't want to talk about it…" I muttered.

"Eh?" he replied to me confused before I walked away too. "I wonder what you two talked about…?" he asked himself, dumbfounded.

* * *

_At the rooftop, Tana was clearing her mind for a bit with the gentle breeze of wind blowing to her face. She heard footsteps walking towards her direction, and when she turned around, it was Ephraim, the one she had a crush since her childhood._

_"Hey, Tana…"_

_"Ephraim…" she got out._

_"Mind if I stay next to you?" he asked her, causing the latter to have a blush._

_"O–Of course!" she replied back as the two enjoyed the view of the village. "Hey, Ephraim, do you remember when we first met?"_

_"…Ah, of course!" he recalled. "It was at Castle Frelia, wasn't it?" he asked, which she nodded happily. "Eirika and I had been invited to visit for your birthday celebration."_

_"Oh, I'm_ so_ glad you remembered!" she chirped up._

_"King Hayden seemed so delighted that we'd come to visit. I think that was the first time I met Innes, too."_

_"So, Ephraim, what did you think of the dress I was wearing?" she asked him excitedly, as Ephraim tried his best to recall it._

_"I'm sorry, but I don't think I got a good look at it at the time. Perhaps you don't remember, but as soon as I arrived, Innes challenged me. We ended up having an archery match right when the party began. I think Innes won that match."_

_"Do you remember my hair? I was so happy with it!" she asked him happily again, which made Ephraim to have a sweat drop._

_"Uh… Well, right after our archery match, Innes challenged me to the spear. I think I won _that_ match!" he told her, causing Tana to get a bit annoyed._

_"I'll bet you don't even remember what I said _afterwards_!" she said angrily at him, as Ephraim slowly took a few steps back while trying to find an excuse._

_"Er, Innes can be persistent. After spears, we moved on to jousting. That time, I think it was…"_

_"Oh, you!" she said frustrated as she slowly got teary. "You only remember what happened with my brother! You don't care about me at _all_, do you!?"_

_"Oh, no, no! That's not true. It's just…"_

_"Fine! Why should I care about you when you can't even be bothered to care about _me_? You just keep having fun with my brother and don't pay me any mind at _all_!" with that she ran once again, leaving Ephraim all alone._

_"*sigh* I think I just made it worse…" he muttered to himself as he noticed the rain starting to pour down. "Well, I better get back in…"_

_As Tana continued to run down the stairs, she paused for a moment as he thought through the situation. "Why can't he understand how I feel about him, just like how I felt about Kurogasa in the past…?" she said a bit sad as her crush didn't notice about her feelings for Ephraim. "I just… don't want to be rejected again…" she muttered to herself as tears dropped on the ground from her eyes, as she slowly walked back down after wiping it off from her eyes._

* * *

Great… it's raining again…But on the upside, the castle is fixed and there's no leak this time, which is good because the _last_ thing I want to have during my sleep is have rain droplets hitting my forehead again… just when I was about to head back to my room, I felt a very light tug on my shirt. When I turned around, I noticed it was Eirika in her mother's sleeping dress as she looked down for a bit.

"K–Kurogasa… i–is it okay… for you to accompany me for tonight?" she asked me shyly.

"Um… sure, I guess…" I got out. Weird, there's no thunderstorm tonight. It's just raining…

*BOOM!*

"EEK!" Eirika suddenly freaked out as she quickly hugged me, frightened from the sound of the thunder. Her whole body shivered from the sound of it as I wrapped my arms around her to comfort her.

"I guess I spoke too soon…" I muttered sweat dropping. "Hold on, why don't you ask _other_ girls to sleep with you?" I asked her.

"Because… I want _you_… to stay with me…" she told me as I can tell from her stuttering voice, she was still a bit shaky.

I blushed a bit at what she said. "Um… okay, sure." I answered. I escorted her back to her room as she continued to hold me tight due to the boom of the thunder. When we reached her room, both of us sat next to each other on her king size bed and both of us were in silence, only to be accompanied by the sound of falling rain.

"I'm sorry for a–asking you for this…" she apologized.

"No, it's alright, I don't mind." I smiled.

She had same smile that she always had on her face as she slowly leaned on my shoulder for comfort. "Whenever I'm with you, I feel like… I'm saved from _any_ danger from harm… Now I understand what that feeling I had in me was, and the question Melissa asked me to find out on my own… it was love… my love for you."

"Eirika…" I got out.

"After I heard what you said to Tana as you chose me, for some reason, I feel like… my wish was coming true… and the burden on me has been lifted after I confessed my love to you…" she expressed openly. All of the sudden, another boom of the thunderstorm sounded from outside and much to my surprise, one of the mirrors in her room shattered. Instinct took over as I covered Eirika from any shards that might get on her, much to her surprise. But there _was_ none. When I looked at the front, I realized the window near the balcony was shattered and I let out a sigh of relief.

"Geez, that really scared the heck out of me… I thought the enemy was attacking us again…" I said to myself before I noticed when I pushed myself up she was right at the bottom, lying on the bed while I was on top of her. It really reminded me of that situation back at the camp as both of our gaze met.

"P–Please… stop staring at me like that… i–it's embarrassing…" she shyly said looking away from my gaze with a blush as she felt defenseless…

"S–Sorry…" I got out blushing.

As we stayed a little longer at the same position, she looked at me with a small smile on her face. "I love you, Kurogasa… with all of my heart." she confessed again as she closed her eyes and tilted her face up a bit, which indicated she wanted me to kiss her.

"I love you too…" I said and then leaned in to have my lips meet with mine.

The both of us continued kissing, but now, with more passion and intensity than before. I then started giving her butterfly kisses going down her neck and then kissed her there. "Kurogasa…" Eirika moaned. My hands then started wandering around places where it shouldn't go and when it did, she gasped in pleasure. But that's when she realized what was going on. Placing her hand on my chest, she gently pushed me back, just enough room for her to breathe, "Wait…"

"What is it?" I asked.

"I–I don't… I don't know if we should be even _doing_ this…" Eirika said. "I mean… they _could_ find out about us… doing this…" She added. I could see how upset she was. She was nervous about this. There was so much to think about. There was always the risk everyone could find out, but then the other thing was… was she really ready.

I then smiled at her, brushing the side of her face with my hand and kissed her forehead and said, "It's okay Eirika. If you don't feel comfortable now, I understand. I can wait. I would _never_ force you like that bastard whose name I won't mention." I growled a tiny bit angry, but then had my happy mood again. "But yeah, it's all up to you."

Eirika looked away for a moment as she was thinking, until suddenly another thunder made another loud boom, causing her to hug me tightly before she whispered something to my ear. "P–Please… lock the door…" Well, there's the answer. With that, she let go and I went over to the door to lock it. After that, I got back on the bed, with her lying down and me on top of her. I caressed her face and smiled before claiming her lips once more. What started out as a kiss, the rest… is all in your imagination…

* * *

Okay, okay, okay, so we haven't gotten all the Undead yet. I know I said we got _all _the Undead sealed, and I was planning on keeping it that way, but now that Wild Fang added these two Trial Undead in, we might as well get the other ones. So I'm sorry if you feel like you've been tricked about finally having all the Undead sealed, I'm terribly sorry. And boy, a lot of people got a lot of upgrades. And man, this chapter almost reached 20,000+ words! That's freaking ridiculous! But on another subject, that last part with Eirika and Kurogasa, I'm pretty sure you know what happened now. X3 so go ahead and review!

**Spades:** A, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, J, Q, K  
**Diamonds:** A, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, J, Q, K  
**Hearts:** A, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, J, Q, K  
**Clubs:** A, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, J, Q, K  
**Trial:** A, B, C, **D**, **E**


	20. Chapter 17: River of Regrets

Hey there everyone! It's time for another chapter of Kamen Rider Blade: The Sacred Stones! We're almost there people, just a few more chapters and this story is good as done! So let's get going!

Disclaimer: Same thing.

* * *

Chapter 17: River of Regrets

Boy… what a good sleep I had… I hadn't slept _this_ good in a while. It was a beautiful morning at Castle Renais. As the first rays of sunlight peeked through the windows, I slowly opened my eyes to adjust to the light. For some reason, I felt really comfortable and I just wanted to stay in bed a little longer. Looking around, I was in Eirika's room, but the atmosphere in the room was different for some reason. Looking to my left, I saw the reason why. Eirika was sleeping peacefully with her head on my chest and my body slightly curled around hers facing each other… without her clothes on. I then noticed _I_ wasn't wearing any clothes either. There were on the ground. It then all came back to me as I blushed. The sensation of warm skin against warm skin… the moans and grunts… and then… the big finale.

When I looked at her face, I couldn't help but see her beautiful smile, especially when the gentle sunlight hit her face. I can still feel her legs twirling around mine and her… um… assets on my chest. It was something else after what happened last night. Just to confirm it, I lifted up the blanket that covered our bodies and looked around for a bit until I spotted a small red stain on the mattress near her; which indicated there was only one thing I can think of as it crossed my mind.

I have made love with Eirika last night…

Well, Ephraim _did_ say he wouldn't hold it against me, so it's all good, I guess. But then, part of me regretted that I did it with Eirika. That I should've waited. But what's done is done, can't do anything about it now. Smiling fondly at her, I poked her cheek lightly, causing her to stir. Eirika slowly opened her eyes before looking at me with the usual smile on her face. "Morning, Eirika…" I smiled.

"Good morning, Kurogasa…" Eirika smiled.

"How are you feeling?" I asked.

Eirika buried her face in my chest as she said in a dreamy whisper, "Wonderful… last night was… beautiful."

"Yeah, last night was beautiful, I admit. I'm glad you like it just like I do…" I told her with a smile on my face as I sat up and stretched out as she covered her bare body with the blanket.

"Shall we get ourselves some breakfast?" Eirika asked me, which I nodded before I tried to get my clothes back on the ground–

–wait, where's my clothes? I know I put it here last night…

"Kurogasa, where's my sleeping dress?" she asked me as she was in the same situation as _I_ am.

"I don't know…" I said scratching my head in confusion. "I can't find it anywhere…"

I looked under the bed and I noticed a note and it was written in kanji. I slowly pulled it out and read it as Eirika looked at the note, and couldn't understand what it said.

"Kurogasa, what is that?" she asked me as I read it to myself… and I couldn't believe what was written on this paper…

_TO KUROGASA:_

_Congratulations on becoming a man! How did I know this? Simple, really! I was just about to do my usual tease but after seeing both of you lovebirds' clothes on the ground, I decided to do one thing I know best… and that's 'dry' it out at the balcony. Oh, and tell Eirika her sleeping dress is in her cupboard._

_Your 'friendly' neighborhood, Amber._

_P.S: Do you shoot it inside or outside? ;p_

I crumpled the paper into a paper ball while blushing in embarrassment. "Amberrrrrrrrrrrrrrr…" I growled out.

"Kurogasa, what's wrong?" she asked concerned tone as she looked at the paper that I crumpled. "What did Amber say in the note?"

"She knows…" I got out.

"Eh?" Eirika asked confused.

"She knows that we made love last night…"

Eirika was a bit surprised from what I just said, as her face is instantly turned red "B–B–But, I thought the door was l–locked!"

"I _did_ lock the door. She must have come in here this morning…" I said as I walk towards the door and found out the door was _still_ locked. I wonder how she got in, in the first place. It was then I looked to window and my face went pale in horror… "The window…"

"T–The window?" Eirika stuttered.

"She must have found out about the door being locked and… use her Trial Form to get here… by the window…" I finished before I remembered something about it. "MY SHORTS!" I then ran out to the window, which had a balcony, and thankfully the balcony was made of stone, so thank goodness it covered my… well, you know… and I saw my shorts hanging on the edge. I quickly got my shorts before the wind got it, and then ran back inside.

"I see you, Kurogasa!" A voice said and I noticed Amber on the ground, waving happily at me, which made my eye twitch. "How was last night?!" she shouted as if she didn't have a care in the world.

"Urusei, yo!" I shouted balling up a fist of anger at her shaking it, before I ran back inside Eirika's room. That Amber, when I see her after I'm dressed, I'm gonna– ooooooooooooooooooh!

"P–Please, calm down, Kurogasa…" Eirika said trying to calm me down, despite her having a heavy blush of her own. "A–And what about my dress?"

"It's in your cupboard." I muttered. Eirika sighed in relief after hearing it. At least, she's being considerate about Eirika's well–being… why is it always _me_ that has to be the victim here?!

* * *

_Amber couldn't help but have the biggest laugh she's ever had as Kurai spotted her rolling around the ground, leaving him confused on his face. "What's wrong with _you_, cousin?"_

_"IT'S JUST TOO FUNNY! TOO FUNNY TO BE TRUE!" she said laughing her butt off while holding her stomach in pain from her laughing._

_"_What's_ too funny to be true?" he asked her._

_"Kurogasa's expression! It's _PRICELESS_!" Amber told her cousin continuing to laugh out loud, as Kurai sighed._

_"Whatever grand scheme you did to him, don't get me involved, cousin…" he told her before he walked away from the scene. "What an eyesore…"_

* * *

After that entire fiasco, Eirika and I were dressed up in our clothes and we were walking together hand–in–hand to the dining hall to get breakfast. I'm still mad at Amber for what she did. That teasing was the biggest one she did and in one way or another, it's gonna come back to bite her in the butt… hard. "That Amber… when I see her I'm gonna– ooooooooooooooooooh…" I grumbled.

"Please don't get mad at her, Kurogasa. You already know how she is… always loves to tease us, but I'm sure it's for a good reason…" Eirika said calming me down with her gentle tone, which it did… mostly.

While we're walking towards our destination, I heard some footsteps and it was Storm who's running towards me. "Hey~, buddy! Wait up!"

"What's up Storm?" I asked.

"Where _were_ you last night? You weren't in your bed and I got worried. And last time I noticed, there's not a single drop of rain hitting on your bed anymore. Where have you been?" he asked me. Eirika and I blushed, only to leave him more confused than normal.

"Um… Eirika asked me to stay with her for the night because of the thunder." I answered. Well, I wasn't lying. She _did_ ask me.

It took him a while to process the data until eventually, he had a smile of his own… wait a minute; did he figure it out from my words alone?! "I see… I didn't know there was a thunderstorm last night because I was _already_ asleep by the time _I_ knew it…" he added as I let out a sigh of relief. "By the way, have you seen Amber anywhere? For some reason, she's already out from her room…"

"No." I answered immediately; she's most likely still laughing her butt off somewhere.

Storm scratched his head before he replied, "Oh, okay…" he said before he walked away… until he paused and turned around to look at both of us with a sincere smile. "And buddy, I'm glad you found someone in your life. You two really match well together."

"Storm…" I muttered before he looked at Eirika.

"And Eirika, I hope that you can take care of him. He's like a little brother to me and I couldn't help but to get worried if something happened to him…"

"Don't worry, Storm. I will…" she nodded before he started walk away to get some breakfast. "Your friend sure is something else, Kurogasa…"

"Yeah, he is." I said.

* * *

Breakfast was lively as always as the meal for breakfast today was cooked by Tana… and Amber. And she still had that smirk on her face whenever I looked at her. I noticed Kurai getting concerned for Melissa–sempai. "Are you fully alright now, Melissa?"

"Oh, Kurai! Yes, I'm fully alright, despite the fall I've taken. If it wasn't for the armor, I would've gotten a serious injury than just being out cold…" Melissa–sempai replied back smiling sincerely, as Kurai puts another small bottle in front of her. "Another Elixir?"

"Yeah, just in case if you're not fully recovered yet…" Kurai explained.

"Thank you, Kurai…" she replied back, as he had a slight blush on his face.

"I do whatever I can…" he told her before he walked away from the scene as Melissa–sempai happily looked at the Elixir before drinking it whole in good manners.

"Looks like he finally opened up to sempai." I said to Eirika.

"Yes, he did… just like both of us…" she said with a nod as I felt her hand grabbing on mine under the table and before I knew it, Ephraim wrapped his arm around my shoulder with his smile on his face.

"So, how's my friend of a Legendary Rider feeling today?" Ephraim asked me, with Eirika and I surprised from her brother's appearance from out of nowhere.

"Brother!" Eirika shouted in surprise.

"Please don't do that…" I said putting a hand over my heart. "You almost gave me a heart attack."

"Sorry about that." he apologized. "I couldn't help but see both of you hold hands while I was on the way here. I bet something must've happened since yesterday…"

At this point, Eirika had a slight blush on her face while looking at her brother. "W–What do you mean by _that_?"

"Well, you _are_ afraid of thunderstorms and from what I heard from Amber, it seems like you called _him_ to accompany you for last night… but the funny thing is… whenever Amber tries to mention about it, she could only laugh at it…" Ephraim pondered.

"Uh… yeah, something like that…" I replied as I couldn't forget the embarrassment I received from Amber this morning… when I get my hands on her, she'll be _so_ dead right about now.

"Since you two were together last night, did you two… well…" Ephraim asked us with a small smile, causing Eirika to blush madly as she understood what he was trying to say to us.

"Oh, Ephraim!" Eirika cried out, making Ephraim laugh.

"Don't worry about it. Whatever happened last night it's none of my concern…" he told us both before he headed towards the table to have his own breakfast.

"That brother of mine… he's _always_ like that!" Eirika commented.

"Great… _another_ teaser to worry about…" I sighed in dismay.

"But at least he isn't _as_ serious as Amber… for _her_ teases are on you…"

"True… Now I'm starting to regret it, now that Amber knows… I should've waited…" I said feeling a bit down.

It was then I felt her grip on my hand getting tighter as she consoled me. "No, it isn't your fault… it was _mine_ because _I'm_ the one who asked for it… maybe I can talk to Amber about this so that we could reach an understanding. I hope she understands what I'm saying to her…"

"Eirika…" I got out as I looked at her, who was smiling.

* * *

_After breakfast, everyone was doing their business and getting ready to go to Rausten. Eirika was walking by herself in the hallways of the castle until she spotted Amber walking in the opposite direction. "Amber, do you have a moment?" Eirika asked._

_"Oh, Eirika! What's up?" Amber asked her casually as Eirika confronted her._

_"I think you should stop teasing him about what you saw this morning…"_

_"Why's_ that?_ Isn't he the one who–"_

_"No, it was _me_ who asked him to do it last night…" Eirika confessed to her, which made Amber surprised. Eirika then looked at her with slight anger and a blush. "If… if you want to tease someone, it should be _me_!"_

_"Eirika…" Amber said concerned as she took her hand. "You know I won't tease you _that_ bad since we're friends. Besides, I _did_ help you out by folding your dress into the cupboard, right? He _did_ tell you about the letter, didn't he?"_

_"Yes, he did. But now, he's starting to regret that we did it, saying that he should've waited."_

_"Of _course_ he should've waited for it!" Amber explained. "I mean, I've been with my boyfriend for _years_ and I can _still_ wait patiently until we get married!" she said, with a slight blush on the last part of her sentence._

_"Amber…" Eirika got out as Amber cooled herself down._

_"But… what can we do? The damage has already been done and there's nothing we can do about it… I guess I'm envy you for your first time with him…" she said slightly jealous. Eirika giggled at Amber's reaction. _

_"So… will you forget what you saw this morning?"_

_"Since it's _you_ that asked me, I guess I can forget what I saw…" she replied before she whispered to her with a slight blush. "So, um… is it painful… your first time, I mean…"_

_"Amber!"_

_"I'm just asking, there's no need to be worked up or anything…" Amber said to her before the two girls started to laugh before they calmed down. "C'mon, we better head to Rausten so we can protect the last Sacred Stone."_

_"Right."_

* * *

After breakfast, I immediately went to Father Moulder and after telling him I needed him to exercise the Sacrament of Penance, both of us went to a part of the castle, where there was a church–like sanctuary built in the castle. We both went to the confessional, and Father Moulder playing his role as Priest and I as penitent, I confessed my sins and he absolved them. After that, we came back out of the sanctuary and walked back to the caravan to get ready. "Thank you Father Moulder, I _really_ needed to get that out of me."

"Do not worry, young man… young people these days sure are quite eager with new things…" Father Moulder explained, as I looked down sadly. "But have no fear, young man. I have also heard some of their complaints, similar to your situation as well. But to think it was the princess that requested it…"

"Well… it _was_ her decision, and I never forced it. I just… _went_ with it."

Father Moulder sighed as he placed his hand on my shoulder. "Do not worry, young man. The divine light shall forgive for your actions as you have already confessed it. I was surprised that Prince Ephraim gave you permission to do so. So, do not take this burden all by yourself and continue on with your life, alright?" he said to me with a fatherly smile on his face.

"Thank you." I smiled sadly.

* * *

As we started to pack up some of the things, I saw Eirika and Amber having a happy chat with each other, as Mikoto, Tana and Tethys joined in the conversation. One thing I _do_ know is Amber hasn't mentioned a single thing about what she saw this morning, so I guess Eirika and Amber have come to an understanding. But still, I feel a little bit regret about it… "Kurogasa, what's the matter, dear?" I heard a voice from the caravan. It was Melissa–sempai looking at me concerned. "Why are you looking down? Is there something that bothered you?"

"Oh, it's ok. I already talked with Father Moulder about it. And besides, it's kinda… Priest/Penitent confidential…" I told her_._

"Oh, I see… I guess I shouldn't ask about it…" Melissa–sempai nodded. "But still, I noticed that you and Eirika are getting along very well. I'm so glad to see you have someone to protect with your life." she smiled.

"I know… me too…" I said as I looked at Eirika. "All of my life, I've been living alone without parents and I didn't get to know them a lot since they died when I was young. I was all alone, until you, Storm, Amber, Akira, Mikoto, and Kurai came into my life. And now, it's Eirika and the rest of the troops. Without you guys and Eirika, I…"

Without me knowing, she gently got off from the caravan and embraced me with a warm hug, surprising me for a moment. "Yes, I understand how you feel, dear… no matter what happens, if you ever need someone to comfort you, we'll always be here when you need it most, so you don't have to feel lonely anymore…"

"Sempai…" I got out as she gently patted my head with her hand.

"Forget about what happened in the past and continue on with the present, build for a better future… that is what my late grandmother told me. So, it's alright, Kurogasa. Hold your head high and be proud of who you are…" she consoled me as she gave me a warm and gentle hug, with a smile on her face.

"Arigatou… sempai…" I said as a tear rolled down my face.

"You're welcome dear… if I am a mother to you, I would be so proud of my son…" At that point, I couldn't hold it in much longer and I silently cried in her embrace while she continued to be there for me, like a real mother would do. I never knew what it was like to feel a mother's love, but Melissa–sempai was _always_ there for me. I know she'll be a _great_ mother when she gets married with someone she loves the most and I will _always_ show my respect to her for her loving kindness.

* * *

After a while, we went on our journey to Rausten, with Princess L'Arachel leading the group. There are times where Kurai teased her about her sense of direction, which he even explained one before our encounter, making her slightly annoyed as Melissa–sempai would hit his back with her Rouzer whenever Kurai teased L'Arachel. I noticed Eirika being occupied with something as I get closer to her and she seemed bothered. "What's wrong Eirika?" I asked her.

"Oh, it's nothing…" she told me as she still looked down. "I'm just still worried about Lyon, that's all..."

"Oh, I see." I said to her.

"Yes… and I remember something about him talking about the Sacred Stone…" she said to me as she went down the memory lane and explained to me about it.

* * *

**Flashback – 2 Years ago**

_Inside the research lab, Lyon, Eirika and Ephraim are discussing about something regarding the Sacred Stone that Lyon possessed. "How do you intend to use the Sacred Stone, Lyon? Do you _really_ think you can tap into its power?" Ephraim doubted at his friend's ability as Lyon was pondered about it._

_"My research isn't complete yet, but there's no mistaking the power the Sacred Stones contain." he explained to them. "And the Stone of Grado seems _especially_ responsive to my dark magic. I suppose it's because it contains both sacred _and_ demonic properties." he added. "Regardless, if I can just press my studies a little harder… Well, I think I might be able to use it to heal my father's illness. If that works, there's no _telling_ how many other people I can help as well!" he said with joy on his face but Eirika still have concerns._

_"Do you think this is wise? The power contained within the stones is beyond our understanding… My father tells me that the stones possess a power not to be trifled with."_

_"Uh–huh…" Lyon replied. "Father Macgregor is _also_ against it. That's why they still won't give me direct access to the Stone of Grado. For the time being, I've made do with the radiant energies surrounding it. They're _nothing_ compared to the raw power of the stone itself, but… If I show Father Macgregor some real progress, perhaps one day…"_

_"Using the Sacred Stones to study magic…" Ephraim replied shivering a bit._

_"Ephraim, Eirika, what do _you_ two think?" Lyon asked. "Using the divine power of the Sacred Stones in this way… You don't think it's a very good idea, do you?"_

_"_…_It's just that I know nothing at _all_ of magic." Ephraim admitted. "I wished that there was some way I could help you, but I simply can't. But, Lyon, I've seen how hard you've worked to help others. I know how much you want the power to make others happy. I know these things, and because I know you, I trust your intentions."_

_"Ephraim…" Lyon smiled. _

_"If you hope to use the power of the Sacred Stone for good, I trust you can. I'm behind you all the way."_

_"I agree with Ephraim entirely." Eirika added. "You spend every night in the library, studying cures for your father's illness. The power of the Sacred Stones is too powerful to be used for personal gain. But you, Lyon… I think you'll be fine. You're the kindest person I know."_

_"Thanks, both of you." Lyon smiled wider. "Hearing those words from you means a lot to me. Actually– and this hasn't been made public yet– but… I've already saved someone using the knowledge I've gleamed so far."_

_"You _have_?" Ephraim asked._

_"Uh–huh…" Lyon nodded. "A while back, a fire ravaged Serafew, and a little girl got trapped in the flames. Her burns were terrible: not even healing staves were able to cure her injuries. But just a sliver of the stone's power restored her life and healed her wounds. We saved that girl's life, Ephraim! Oh, if you could have seen the tears of joy in her mother's eyes!"_

_"You really did it, huh?" Ephraim smirked. "You _are_ special, Lyon. Congratulations!"_

_"Well… thanks." Lyon said humbly. "But there's still so much more to be done. I am happy, though. To be honest I just want to help people. I want to put the ancient magics to use for the common good… That's how I feel."_

_"Lyon…" Eirika giggled._

_"And as my research moves forward, I'll be able to do _much_ more, too. We have only the barest understanding of how dark magic operates. Maybe we can use it not only to heal wounds, but also to stop diseases… What if we can read the future, predict disaster, move mountains!" Lyon said excited. _

_"Hold on, Lyon." Eirika said calmly. "You can't take too much on yourself all at once. What good is helping people if you sacrifice _yourself_ to do it?"_

_"Oh…" Lyon said laughing sheepishly. "Yes, of course. Sorry. I got carried away."_

_"You have a soft heart, Lyon." Ephraim said. "I bet you haven't taken any _real_ time off at all. So this is what we're going to do. Today we're going into the city. And you're going with us, Lyon."_

_"What?" Lyon blinked. "But Ephraim, you've got a history report due."_

_"We're taking today off." Ephraim stated and grabbed Lyon's arm. "C'mon, let's go."_

_"Bu–But, Ephraim…" Lyon got out as he was pulled to his feet, pulling against Ephraim as the latter dragged the reluctant Lyon to the door._

_"It's just one day, and I won't tell anyone." Eirika assured him as she followed. "Won't it be fun for the three of us to spend a day in the city?"_

_"Ephraim, Eirika…" Lyon uttered as Ephraim finally let him go. "Thanks so much. I'm lucky to have the two of you as friends."_

**End Flashback**

* * *

"Lyon was very gentle and kind from what I remember… but after hearing what my brother said about him, even if it's true… I just… don't know what to say…" Eirika said as she looked down. "I don't think I have the courage to _fight_ him, even if he possessed the dark stone that he holds…"

"Eirika…" I got out as I went over to her held her close, embracing her. "Don't worry, we'll figure something out. I promise…" Eirika could only stay silent as we continued to venture forth on the road.

"We have the Stone of Renais. The final Sacred Stone is in Rausten." Ephraim said.

"Yeah… so, mind you entertain us with your knowledge about the Sacred Stone of Rausten, o wise princess?" Kurai asked her sarcastically.

"Naturally!" she replied delightfully. "As Rausten's very own princess, I know a thing or two about our stone." she began to boast. "The palace reliquary currently houses our Sacred Stone. Follow me, and I'll take you there!"

"Let's just hope you don't lead us to another place… like you did in one of our travels…" Kurai said, making L'Arachel flustered.

*STOMP!*

"Iteeeeeeeeeeeeeee!"

"Kurai, what did we discuss about earlier? _No_ teasing about someone's weaknesses…" she told him as he shuddered to feel her darkness behind him as he rubbed his toe from Melissa–sempai's toe crushing… how she does that while he's leading the horse, I'll never know.

"Kurogasa, what's wrong?" Eirika asked me as she can't feel Melissa–sempai's darkness at all as I shuddered. I bet the others who have seen her wrath might have felt the same thing too.

"Trust me when I say this, don't ever anger sempai. If you do, you'll know why I shudder." I told Eirika.

"Hm?" Eirika was confused as she blinked at me before we continued on the journey.

"I sent the Frelian army ahead before us. They should be en route to Rausten. If we hurry, we can join up with them at the banks of the Narube River." Innes informed us while riding on his horse.

"Lead the way, L'Arachel…" Kurai told her, which she stopped for a bit and–

*THWACK!*

"Ouch!" he shouted in pain as a result of her staff meeting his head. "What was _that_ for?!"

"Just so you know, Kurai, Rausten is my country and I know the country like the back of my hand!" L'Arachel said to him before she moved on to lead the group onto their destination.

* * *

_In another caravan, Gerik couldn't help but have goosebumps about feeling the darkness from Melissa's wrath, as Tethys looks at him while patting Ewan's head, resting on her lap. "Chief, what's wrong?"_

_"Uh… it's nothin', really…" he told her as Tethys looked down on her little brother._

_"About what we talked about the other night…" she said, gaining Gerik's attention. "Chief. The truth is, Ewan and I… We were abandoned by our parents."_

_Gerik was surprised about it as he was in a loss of words. "…Oh, I see…"_

_"Um… I wandered about with little Ewan in tow. He had no idea what was happening. I was a child myself with no job. We went to bed, hungry every night, and our clothes were rags…" she continued as Gerik listened to her silently. "Then one day I said to myself, "We cannot go_ on_ like this!" and I watched a dancer on a street corner and memorized all of her moves. I wasn't a very coordinated child at first and it was so difficult. I didn't have real shoes, so my feet were a mess of blisters, and I fell so many times I was covered in cuts and bruises." she looked down with a sad look on her face. "It was painful, miserable, and very, very difficult. But I never cried. Because if were to cry,_ he_ would cry. And I loved seeing Ewan's smiling face. I wanted him to smile_ all_ the time, so I worked hard so he could."_

_"Tethys…" Gerik let out before Tethys giggled and looked at him with her happy face._

_"What a sad and miserable tale. I'm sorry. I was reminded of it all just recently, and I was overcome with emotion…" she waved off. "But that's how I earned the dancing skills and physique I have now! All of the hard work I did back then has made me the woman I am today. What do you say to that?"_

_"I'm not sure_ what_ to say." Gerik told her as he scratched the back of his head. "So before you met up with us, the two of you had a rough time of it, did you?"_

_"OK, that's enough." she exploded on him, making him surprised. "The past is the past! You mustn't tell _anyone_ about this. I don't share this story with others. I only told you because you're the chief. A story of toil and hardship doesn't quite fit my mysterious image, does it?" she said with a smile, making him nodded silently. "You know what I'd like? For you to tell me more about you."_

_"Sure. Another time, though, Ok?" he told her._

_"All right. Let's see this thing through to the end. If we do our best, good things will come of it. And then better things after that. Right, Chief?" she asked him, which he could only smile at her._

_"Right, Tethys."_

* * *

_Meanwhile, in another caravan, Rennac looked outside the caravan, looking displeased as he reminded himself about something. "Ah… Why has fate chosen to treat me so cruelly?"_

_He then felt a strong pat on his back before he heard Dolza laughing on his jolly look, much to Rennac's dismay. "Ah, Rennac. You look so pleased to have been reunited with Princess L'Arachel. I'm glad we're all in one piece!"_

_Rennac could only sigh after hearing Dolza misunderstood his situation… as usual. "You haven't changed, Dolza. Your ability to misread people still ruins all conversation. I am _lamenting_, old man! I am _raging_ against my _horrible_ misfortune!" he scolded at him, as Dolza looked at him confused "You're a vassal sworn to serve Princess L'Arachel. You're _supposed_ to be here. _I_, however, am not. I'm temporary. Got it? I'm an employee! I am _not_ a vassal!"_

_"Gwah ha ha! You're just as interesting as ever. You're still hard to follow, but…"_

_"This is _not_ a conversation for you to enjoy, and it's _not_ at all hard to follow!" he explained before looking at the back. "It's not that I don't enjoy being in this army, but traveling with _her_ again… I mean, I haven't even been properly _paid_ for the last job."_

_"Oh, so it's about money, is it? In that case, you've no worries, Rennac. All you have to do is see Princess L'Arachel safely back to Rausten. Once that's done, His Majesty will pay you any amount you desire." Dolza said._

_"That's what I heard the _last_ time…" Rennac deadpanned. "…but do you have any idea how much I desire? When he hears it, His Majesty may very well explode!"_

_"Hmm…" Dolza pondered as he scratched his beard before he got an idea. "…so about 1,000 gold pieces?"_

_"Huh? You can't even buy a proper _blade_ for that price!" Rennac scolded._

_"What, _5,000_ then?"_

_"You've got the wrong number of zeroes, old man…" Rennac corrected him, before Dolza finally got the answer he was looking for._

_"Oh, my apologies. So you want _500_ gold, eh?"_

_At this point, Rennac exploded on him. "No! That's _smaller_! It cannot get _smaller_! I want _more_! It's _50_,_000_! _50_,_000_ gold! And I'll bend 50,000 ears to get it if I have to! _Someone_ must listen!"_

_"Oh, right. I understand!" Dolza replied. "You need _50_,_000_ ears, is _that_ it? Very well, when we return to Rausten we'll get _50_,_000_ people together! Wait… that's _100_,_000_ ears. Well anyway, you'll have all the ears you need!" he said before he let out a big laugh, making Rennac face palm on the matter._

_"It's just a figure of speech, old man. Bah! I was a fool to complain." Rennac said while looking back outside._

_"Then why did he engage a conversation with him in the first place?" Amber asked herself with a sweat drop._

_"Beats me…" Mikoto replied._

* * *

_"Do not falter!" A Frelian solider cried out. "Show them the might of Frelia!"_

_With a war cry, the Frelian soldiers defend their territory from the enemy they're facing. However defending it alone won't be enough for them as two Cavaliers and a Paladin of Frelia faced off against four Wyvern Riders and they were slain by the enemy's lances, two of their finest Pegasus Knights were being blasted into chunks of meat, courtesy of the strongest blast from the enemy's mage and sage and finally, the three Druids uses their dark powers, to slay the remaining two knights and a great knight of Frelia, thus making more of Narube citizens run for their lives as the enemy's force continued to advance._

_"Lady S–Syrene… The enemy is headed this way!" the young lady said to a woman in her mid–20's, having long green hair that reached to her back, a red bandanna, wearing white breast armor with brown dress with light brown linings underneath it, brown skirt with black long silk underneath it, wearing white long boots and wore fingerless white gloves; riding on her highly decorated Pegasus with a spear in her hand as she looks upon the terrified citizen._

_"Are you serious?" The knight asked, grimacing. "Grado's been defeated, and still they fight on? And they're tough."_

_"You Frelian fools have been wiped out by those guys…" An elderly man let out. "Oh, no… Now we're finished as well."_

_"Everyone, please remain calm." Syrene began. "If you panic and flee, the enemy will simply surround you. If you remain here and don't move, I promise to protect you all."_

_"Lady Syrene…" The girl breathed out._

* * *

Finally, after taking another shortcut from L'Arachel's instructions, we've finally made it to Narube River. "For once, you didn't get us lost…"

"Hmph!" L'Arachel scoffed before looking away from him. "Just so you know, Rausten is like my backyard, so I know _all_ of the shortcuts!" L'Arachel told him as Eirika spotted something from afar.

"Kurogasa, brother, look there!" she pointed out as Ephraim was shocked to see it.

"A skirmish!" he said out loud.

"That's the _last_ thing we need." I groaned in annoyance.

"Indeed…" Franz said concerned as Innes spotted someone from afar.

"Is that Syrene? What's going on? We must go to her aid!" he shouted as Vanessa _also_ noticed the person.

"Sister…" she muttered out.

"What? She's your sister?" Akira asked.

Vanessa was surprised from Akira's comment before she looked at the woman on the battlefield. "Yes, Akira… she's my sister and she needs our help."

"We better _save_ her then…" Forde said with a smile on his face as he tried to comfort Vanessa. As they tried to advance, L'Arachel suddenly shouted to them.

"Everyone, hold! Something evil is afoot!"

"Huh?" some of the group didn't understand what she was saying until a portal appeared right in front of us and the one who came out of the portal was… Lyon?!

"Lyon!" Ephraim exclaimed as he, Eirika, and I along with the rest of the Riders got off the caravan or horse to meet up with the siblings.

"Eirika… Ephraim…" Lyon addressed.

"Lyon…" Eirika breathed. "Where have you _been_ all this time?"

"Eirika, Riders, stop!" Ephraim told us, leaving us confused.

"Brother?" Eirika said confused by her brother's sudden command.

"Eh~? Why?!" Mikoto complained.

"Can't you see he's in deep trouble?!" Amber added.

"Can't you both read the situation carefully? Something is _definitely_ up…" Kurai explained as Melissa–sempai looked at Lyon.

"Eirika, dear… I think we should do what your brother said for now…" Melissa–sempai assured her as while standing next to her.

"Lyon…" Ephraim began. "We met recently in Grado Keep, right? Do you remember what you told me then? You told me this was all _your_ doing, that _you_ started this war."

"What?" Lyon said surprised. "Ephraim… Why are you so angry? We haven't seen each other in so long… What's happened?"

"Lyon…" Eirika let off.

Eirika began to approach to him but Melissa–sempai held onto her, much to my confusion. "Sempai?"

"Melissa, please let me go!" Eirika demanded.

"I'm sorry, Eirika… I can't… there's something odd about the boy…" Melissa–sempai explained to her.

"The Sister is right, Eirika." Ephraim agreed to her. "You said it yourself. Lyon must be under the control of someone or something else."

"Don't be ridiculous!" she cried out as she tried her best to break from Melissa–sempai's hug, which she eventually did. "There _must_ be something wrong with you, Ephraim! Lyon is one of our dearest and closest friends, remember? He told me that, no matter what happened, he was still on our side. Isn't that right, Lyon?"

"Yes, Eirika. Of _course_ it is. So please, come here… closer…" Lyon persuaded her as she continued to walk towards his direction… until Lyon suddenly held his head in pain and kneels down. "Ah! Gah! Ahh! Uuuuhhaaah!" Lyon screamed in pain as Eirika was getting worried.

"Okay, there's _definitely_ something wrong with Lyon." I said.

"Stay… back… Eirika!" Lyon got out as he was still in pain.

"What?"

"Get away… from me… quickly! …if you don't… he'll definitely… destroy you!" Lyon said as he held his head tighter, screaming in pain.

"W–What? Lyon!" Eirika cried out trying to approach him, but I held onto her hand and she looked at me concerned. "Let me go, Kurogasa! Don't you see he needs help?!" she cried out.

"I know Eirika, but it's not safe! Not in his condition." I protested. "Ephraim, take care of Eirika, the Riders and I will deal with this."

"Wait! Please, let me go!" Eirika cried out as eventually, all of us Riders stepped forward to confront him and eventually, his scream in pain stopped. He slowly stood up and looked at us with a sinister grin.

_**"****Hi. It's been a while since I saw you two last, hasn't it…"**_ Lyon replied… with a sinister voice.

"Lyon?" Eirika breathed out. "Is that… no, it cannot be him speaking."

"Stay back, Eirika." Ephraim repeated. "Keep your guard up. That's _not_ Lyon."

"If it isn't, then who _is_ it?!' Mikoto demanded.

"Definitely not Lyon…" Kurai muttered before 'Lyon' laughed.

_**"****I'm not Lyon? That's rich. A masterpiece.**_**"** he spoke as he kept his smile while looking at us with his dark eyes. _**"You **_**always**_** thought Lyon was kind, gentle, and weak, didn't you? Admit it."**_

"No!" Ephraim shouted. "Lyon, Eirika, and I were friends. There were things we kept to ourselves, of course, but we shared so much. And no matter what happened, no matter how much time passed… We're still friends. Lyon would _never_ betray us. Not in a million years…" he clenched his fist before pointing at him. "You're _not_ Lyon!"

"Yeah, you're nothing more than a dark being!" Akira pointed out as 'Lyon' laughed again before he kept silent, his smile diminished in an instant.

"Not just _any_ dark being…" I muttered figuring out who it was. "The Demon King himself, Fomortiis!"

It was then it let out a dark laughter, making us and the rest of the troops be on guard. **"**_**That's right. I am the great adversary of antiquity… The Demon King… Fomortiis!"**_

"It's as we feared after all." L'Arachel feared.

_**"****I've had my fun pretending to be human, but the need for charades has passed. You are correct. This body no longer belongs to your young Lyon. I devoured his pathetic heart **_**ages**_** ago."**_ Fomortiis explained.

"Darn it… we're too late…" Kurai muttered.

_**"****Lyon? Lyon? O prince of misery? Come out. Be not shy! This body is lost to you! It is mine to compel!" **_Fomortiis mocked before he shifted his attention to us. _**"And it seems like you have returned to this world… Legendary Riders…"**_

"Yeah, we did, and if the Riders of the past; beat you, then we can do the same!" I snapped.

_**"****Ah, from the looks of it, it might be… but did you know with your might alone won't be enough to beat **_**both**_** of us?"**_ Fomortiis mocked as we remembered something from the tale that Grandmother told us.

"The Joker Undead…" I muttered.

"Jaishin–14…" Storm finished.

_**"****Correct… once I've unsealed him, both of us will combine our might and this time, there will be NOTHING you Riders can do about it!"**_

"Why are you doing this?" Melissa–sempai asked him as he looked upon us.

_**"****I am about to make this pathetic mortal's dream come true."**_ it said to us.

"His dream?" Ephraim asked.

_**"****I am about to crush Prince Ephraim and take Princess Eirika for my own. Isn't this all that you've ever prayed for, young fool of a prince?" it said with a slight chuckle. "Rejoice, Lyon. The time has come… Ephraim, the man you envy… Eirika, the woman you desire… I will give you your darkest fantasies, your blackest wishes! Come and fight me, mortal beings. I await you!"**_ And with that, he vanished.

"Whoa, what a scary guy…" Mikoto said as she hid behind Akira.

"Yeah, maybe the task we're taking here maybe _way_ out of our heads…" Amber noted as she clung onto Storm's arm.

"Even so, _someone_ has to stop it from harm…" Melissa–sempai added as she looks at the shocked Eirika.

"Lyon…" she muttered.

"Eirika…" I said going to her, holding her shoulders. She's not snapping out of it. "Eirika… Eirika!" I said shaking her lightly.

"Kurogasa, dear… I think it is best to leave her be for now…we have other things to worry about…" Melissa–sempai said worried trying to persuade me.

"I'll try to calm her down…" Natasha offered as she escorted Eirika back to the caravan.

"In the meantime, we should go and help out the people who are in need for now…" Storm told me.

"Alright then, Riders, let's go!" I said then we took out our new Change Ace cards and placed them in our buckles.

"Henshin!"

**TURN/OPEN UP**

**CHANGE**

With seven new holograms conjured right in front of us, it slowly came back to us until we're in our new Rider suits and most of our weapons have been upgraded, surprising the onlookers.

"Wow! That looks great!" Tana chirped up.

"And you all have your own mantle with your own insignia in addition!" L'Arachel commented.

"You guys sure are full of surprises…" Colm pointed out.

"Minna, ikuzo!" I shouted.

* * *

The advances of Grado's men continued to move on as Syrene continued to lead the people to safety, making sure the people of Narube don't suffer the same fate as her soldiers. "Get 'em! Kill them all!" one of the Great Knights of Grado commanded as more of them continue their advance towards them.

"Quickly, this way!" the Falcon Knight said as she leads them to safety before she threw her spear, killing one of the druids before it returned back onto her hand via the chain. All of the sudden, the sage and the druid casted a dark fireball, exploding in the sky, which caused her Pegasus to landed on the ground, as she also fell.

"Lady Syrene!" the young woman shouted.

"Go… quickly!" Syrene commanded them as one of the Wyvern Riders of the enemy side spotted her, diving towards her for the kill.

"Lady Syrene!"

**LIGHTNING BLAST**

The Wyvern Rider was surprised from an unknown source of the sound… until a kick was delivered right on his helmet, cleanly kicking him off from his Wyvern as Cormag and Glen continued to advance with their lances in hand, attacking the rest of the Wyvern Riders of the opposite side.

"Reinforcements have arrived! We're saved!" the people of Narube shouted with joy as I landed next to her. She slowly got up and looked at me.

"Who _are_ you?" she asked.

"Kamen Rider Blade." I answered. "Don't worry, help is on the way."

"Kamen Rider Blade?" she asked confused as the rest of the group advanced.

Lance then approached me. "Man, you should've said what Tsukasa always said when someone asked him, y'know? Just for fun!"

"Not the time Lance!" I said irritated.

"Syrene!" Innes called out.

As soon as she turned around, she was surprised to see him. "Prince Innes… is it…" she said i shock until it became clear to her. "Ah… It really _is_ you, isn't it, Prince Innes? Being rescued by you… It's like a dream…" she said softly.

"Syrene? I need a status report." Innes said to her.

"Oh… Oh, yes! Please forgive me!" she said snapping out from her daydream and getting back into reality. "The Frelian troops we dispatched were ambushed and decimated. My squad is all that remains."

"So many dead…" Innes said as he saw many of Frelian troops died in the battle. "You can rest easy now, Syrene. I'm here. Victory is assured. Let's go."

"Yes, sir… Prince Innes." Syrene said. When she mounted back onto her Pegasus and was about to get to battle, she heard another cry not far from her as she turned around and saw someone that she's familiar with.

"Commander Syrene! Are you all right?" Vanessa asked.

"Vanessa. What are you doing here…?" Syrene asked her.

"What does it _look_ like? I'm here to _help_ you!" Vanessa said. "You're my sister after all."

"Vanessa…" Syrene said looking at her with a gentle gaze. "You've matured since I saw you last. And… You've grown beautiful too."

"Sister…" Vanessa let out before she heard another shout at the sky, and it was Tana heading towards her direction.

"Syrene! Are you all right?" Tana asked her, which made Syrene surprised for a bit.

"Princess Tana! You must stay back. This place is dangerous!" Syrene warned her.

"No! I _won't_ let you die!" Tana exclaimed, surprising her for a bit. "With the three of us together, there is _nothing_ that can stop us! Come, Vanessa! We should go and assist them!"

"At once, Princess Tana." Vanessa said before both of them took off, leaving Syrene on the ground.

"Princess Tana… You've grown so much. Very well, we shall do this together…" Syrene said with a smile before she led her Pegasus to the sky, assisting them to defeat the enemies.

* * *

**DROP**

**FIRE**

**GEMINI**

_The holograms of Drop Whale, Fire Fly, and Gemini Zebra entered Garren's armor._

**BURNING DIVIDE**

_Garren leaped high to the sky, doing a few corkscrew spins as the Great Knight was prepared for his attack but to his surprise, Garren splits into two as he can't see which one is the real Garren before four drop kicks connected onto him and his armor, along with his horse, knocking both of them down to the ground. When Garren landed on the ground, the great knight's armor shattered, leaving him only in his shirt and pants before he got shot on the head by his Rouzer. "Boom! Headshot!"_

_"Spirits! Assist your master!" Knoll commanded as a dark aura spread out from his fingers as slowly, phantasms were created, picking up the corpses weapons and slowly walked towards the enemy, scaring them._

_"A–Attack!" one of the commanders ordered, but the soldiers were too afraid._

_"Oh, don't be afraid for not coming at me… because it'll be coming at you!" Knoll told them as he made a gesture of his spirit army to slowly walk towards them. Most of them were about to flee the battlefield, but for the sake of their prince, the commander gave one last command to his soldiers to attack and to which they did as swords and lances clashed in the middle. Unknown to them, Joshua, Marisa, Colm, Ross and Amelia were hidden amongst the spirit army as they performed a silent kill onto their enemies, making the soldiers unexpected the decreased number of his soldiers._

_During the battle, Larc, Neimi and Innes continued to shoot out their arrows at the sky against the enemy's Pegasi Knight that were heading towards their direction._

_"These guys are too many to handle!" Innes complained._

_"I–If only we had some r–rapid fire shots…" Neimi stuttered._

**BULLET**

**FIRE**

_"Did someone order rapid fire shots?" Garren asked cheekily as he shot some rounds._

_"Hey, don't forget mine!" Larc shouted as she roused another card._

**TRIAL… E**

_After the declaration, her Rouzer changed into a modified Gatling Gun, which allowed her to shoot her enemies rapidly. "C'mon! Let's show these guys what we're truly made off!"_

_"Right!" Garren said as he and Larc shot their bullets at the Pegasus Knights._

* * *

"Time to test out this baby!" Lance said rousing a card.

**TRIAL… D**

With the Trial D hologram entering his arm, Lance felt the malicious aura emitting from his fists as he was getting excited. "Hey, Blade, check out my–" Lance said trying to show it to him, but as he accidentally punched a nearby tree, the tree timbered down onto the archers which Rennac and Dolza were taking on. Both of them noticed, as the ones that saw this incoming attack immediately dodged it to the side. "–fist… whoops…"

"You idiot! Watch where you're hitting!" Rennac shouted before he dodged another arrow aiming right at him.

"Gwah ha ha! That's some punch you got there!" Dolza said happily.

"Yeah, but I overdid that one big time." Lance sweat dropped.

"But even so, with your deadly fist, I think you got no problem punching holes on those guys…" I said to him before I started swinging my blade onto the rangers that were on their horses, clashing my blade with theirs as Lance punched his fist onto the horse's skull, crushing it with its strong blow before knocking them off and making the ranger fly off of their horses. Taking this chance, I immediately stabbed their stomach with my blade in hand before they tumble down to the ground dead.

"Let's try it out!" Lance shouted as he leaped high and delivered a punch onto another ranger who held his sword high to defend it. Much to his surprise, when the punch connected, not only was the ranger's blade was shattered, but the strength coming out from it was strong enough to decapitate the ranger's head, leaving the fountain of blood flowing out from his neck before he collapsed down.

"Whoa…" I got out. "You're lucky that Larc's not here as she's with Garren."

"Yeah, I better keep that in mind…" Lance said to himself before another ranger tried to swing his sword at him, but he blocked with a punch of his fist towards the edge of the blade, causing it to shatter, much to the ranger's surprise. "With these guys keeping on chasing us, we still have no idea how long would it take to decrease their numbers!"

"Well, we gotta keep going, if we're gonna get to Lyon!" I said as I roused some cards.

**TACKLE**

**METAL**

Two holograms of the more colorful Tackle Boar and Metal Trilobite appeared as it absorbed into my armor, gaining me the strength to tackle forward with my power in hand. "Right! Sooner or later, we'll know the truth!" Lance added before the two of us charged forward alongside the happy Dolza and the calm Rennac as rangers and snipers were still shooting their arrows at us.

* * *

_While the Pegasus Knights and Wyvern Riders were soaring in the sky to take out the airborne enemies, Cormag and Glen took out a Wyvern Lord in front of them, as Vanessa with Tana took down another group of Falcon Knights of the enemies' side with their swords in hand, Syrene couldn't help but notice a certain General that was swinging his axe onto this enemy's Great Knight's lance and the rest of the Knights of Renais continued to slash their way through the enemies' cavalries. Once the coast is clear to land and the certain General finished thrusting his axe onto the Great Knight, she descended down her Pegasus next to Gilliam. "Gilliam, long time, no see."_

_Gilliam turned around to see who was calling for him. "Syrene." he muttered. "…It's been a while. You look great."_

_"Likewise, Gilliam…" she replied. As both of their eyes made contact, Syrene lets out a slight giggle, leaving Gilliam confused._

_"What is it, Syrene? Is there something on my face?"_

_"Oh, it's nothing. Don't worry about it." she waved off smiling. "You're still one of the best–looking men in Frelia's army."_

_"You know I hate it when you tease me." he muttered as he noticed her smile on her face. "What is that smile about? You're making me very nervous."_

_"You were with me on my first mission as one of Frelia's Pegasus knight elite. Do you remember?" Syrene asked him._

_"Was I _really_? I hardly remember." he pondered. "I have a tough time picturing the famous Syrene as a green recruit. That really was a long time ago."_

_"Oh, really? What do you mean by that?" she asked him, as he quickly waved it off._

_"Oh, nothing! Nothing! Just that you've always been one of Frelia's finest warriors."_

_Syrene's expression suddenly changed into a serious look. "Gilliam… This mission matters more to me than that first mission did."_

_"I understand. Much more hangs in the balance if we fail." Gilliam pointed out._

_"We _won't_ fail. I won't allow it!" Syrene declared as she was about to take flight once again with her Pegasus._

_"Don't be a hero!" Gilliam told her, which made Syrene stop her Pegasus for a moment before looking at him with a smile._

_"Thanks, Gilliam. I'm grateful that you're here with me…" Syrene said to before she soared to the sky once again to help her friends._

_"Gilliam, we should pressed on while we can…" Seth told him._

_"Right." Gilliam nodded before he advanced forward once again._

* * *

Well, we managed to take out most of the Grado remnant forces, so now there's only one thing left to do and that is to meet with Lyon. Ephraim and I, along with the rest of the Riders met up at an old abandoned fortress and the possessed Lyon was at the front gate waiting for us. _**"You've arrived."**_Fomortiis chuckled darkly.

"Shut it demon!" I shouted pointing my Rouzer at the possessed Lyon. "This ends now! Release Lyon!" I demanded.

The Demon King chuckled at that. _**"And what's the point of doing so? I already devoured his soul and his body is mine to control!"**_

"You fiend! How could you _do_ such a thing on such innocent person?!" L'Arachel shouted.

_**"****It's because **_**he**_** was the one who unleashed me, and allowed me to possess his body. The darkness I possessed was so high, he couldn't control it!"**_ the Demon King laughed. In the meantime, the druids and shamans were battling against Lute, Saleh, Ewan, Artur and Gerik, who were being healed by Natasha and Father Moulder nearby. Even Myrrh helped us out by turning into a large dragon with her Dragon Stone, she told us some time ago, before burning them all to cinder. _**"Looks like your forces are getting stronger, Ephraim… oh? Is the Princess Eirika not here? Is she still cowering in fear after witnessing this kind of transformation?"**_

"Shut up!" I shouted as I charged towards the possessed Lyon.

"Wait! Blade!" Lance cried out, but I ignored it, because I just wanted to maul this guy after he said about Eirika.

As soon as I tried to slash him, Evil Lyon smirked as an energy beam hit me behind him, causing me to fly back to square one. "Hey, are you okay, buddy?!" Lance said worriedly as when we looked at the gates where Evil Lyon was standing. A white figure walked next to him as we were shocked from what we're seeing. It had all–white armor with a red–pink core that rested on his chest, mounted with white spikes on his shoulder pads and lower parts of its body. And for its helmet, it consists of red–pink mask that covered his face leaving his mouth exposed and has very long antennae on its head.

_**"****I'm sure you already know who this is, Legendary Riders?"**_ Fomortiis asked.

"Oh my… what _is_ that thing?" Leangle said surprised.

"Oh no…" Garren got out.

"What? What _is_ it?" Glaive asked him.

"This doesn't look good…" Lance let out.

"What do you mean?" Larc asked him.

"Kids, looks like we got ourselves some _real_ problem here…" Chalice noted.

"What do you mean by that?" Ephraim asked us.

"Albino Joker…" I muttered. "Storm, please tell me you didn't buy the Albino Joker card too…"

"Nope… that card wasn't out until next month…" Lance replied.

"Oh? You do not know? When I've fully consumed this body, I took my time of creating my minion and what would be better if it were the monster that will terrorize this whole world?" Evil Lyon chuckled.

"This is _definitely_ not what we need…" Garren gritted.

"Indeed, kiddo…" Chalice muttered as the Albino Joker noticed Chalice and pointed at him.

"Jokerrrrrrr…" the Albino spoke.

"Sorry, you got the wrong person…" Chalice told it before he got blasted on his chest, courtesy of a laser beam from the Albino Undead.

_**"****Wrong answer…"**_ Evil Lyon spoke.

"What do you mean wrong answer?" I asked. "He's not Hajime!"

_**"****From what I've known, Chalice is the Joker Undead, correct?"**_ Evil Lyon spoke.

"If you're talking about the series, then yeah… why?" Lance asked… until Garren figured it out.

"I think I understand what he's trying to say…" Garren spoke, as all of us looked at him. "His Rider System is similar to what the Joker Undead would have…"

_**"****You've caught on fast, red Rider… let my friend give you a little gift…"**_ Evil Lyon spoke as another laser beam hit him almost instantly, causing Garren to hold his chest in pain.

"Akira!" Glaive cried running over to him.

_**"****Aw~, it breaks my heart to see his loved one running at him… Albino, mind doing the honors?**__"_ Evil Lyon spoke as it instantly appeared right in front of Glaive, much to her surprise before delivering a strong punch to her stomach, creating a strong shockwave. The strong blow was enough to not only make her voice go missing; she kneeled down in pain as she held her stomach as tightly as she can. _**"Oh, looks like the girl is also injured too… what a view…"**_

"Kisamaaaaaaaaa!" I shouted running over to the Albino Joker while rousing some cards.

**SLASH**

**THUNDER**

The holograms of Slash Lizard and Thunder Lizard entered my armor.

**LIGHTNING SLASH**

The sound of crackles of lightning was heard on my Rouzer as I immediately made a mad dash towards it but to my surprise, when I tried to slash its armor, even though it connected, he took it like nothing happened!

"It tickles…" the Albino Joker mocked as my anger grew and I slashed his chest armor some more, creating more sparks. Even Lance and Leangle joined in. "Hm… looks like fun…" it said before it shoved me aside like it was nothing before Lance and Leangle attacked it. Despite using weapons on their hands, the Albino Joker easily punched and kicked them with ease, causing both of them to stumble back before they switched to defense mode. As it was busy with both of them, I took this chance by dashing towards it with my Rouzer and tried to stab it on its back. Without warning, it delivered me a strong back hand attack, hitting my ribs before he finished both of the Riders in front of him with his claws and as a finishing touch, he delivered the same strong punch on Leangle's chest and Lance's stomach, creating a double shockwave. The attack was enough to make both of their transformations cancel out. Melissa–sempai held her chest tightly as tears ran out from her eyes and Storm gritted his teeth tightly after the punch while holding his stomach.

"Storm!" Larc cried out as she runs to his side.

"Melissa!" Chalice gritted in pain as he slowly made it to her side to check up on her while Evil Lyon laughed.

_**"****He's a strong Undead, correct? I have fed him with countless souls of innocent people around this area… and I was surprised to see my loyal monster getting stronger tenfold. Infused with my dark magic, I have created an indestructible Undead; but it's not as strong as the **_**original**_** Undead!"**_ the Demon King explained.

Dang it, it looks like we have no chance but to go in our final forms!

"You fiend! What you did was unforgivable!" Ephraim shouted at the Demon King who only laughed. "Where's the _real_ Lyon?! What have you done with our friend?! ANSWER ME!"

_**"****Heh heh… What a splendid fool you make."**_ the Demon King commented. _**"Shall I dress you in a jester's cap? Shall we watch you jape in my demon's court? Lyon is dead. I devoured him! Can you not understand?"**_

"Monster!" Ephraim shouted as he charged forward towards him head on.

"Ephraim! NO!" I cried out. Dang it, he's gonna get killed! "Minna, we need to go in our final forms now!" I urged. The remaining Riders that weren't affected by him yet nodded. Larc and Chalice held out their cards as Garren, slowly stood up and was about to transform. Garren and I placed our Rouze Absorber on our wrists, and slide in our cards.

**ABSORB QUEEN**

With the sound emitted from it, we roused it onto our Absorber to initiate the transformation.

**EVOLUTION KING**

"You hurt her, you're going to get it!" Chalice shouted as he roused his card onto his Rouzer on his belt.

**EVOLUTION**

"You'll be sorry for hurting my boyfriend!" Larc shouted as she also roused her Common Blanks on her Rouzer.

**TRIAL… A**

**TRIAL… E**

With that, our transformation commenced while Chalice's cards circled around him. Larc's armor glowed radiantly, Garren's hologram appeared right in front of him, and my cards also circled around me and each of them entered its respective places. After all of that, we reached our King Forms, Wild Chalice and Trial Form respectively.

"You want me that badly, Ephraim? Then you're going to get it!" Evil Lyon said before he conjured a rather large spell circle right in front of him. A few dark spikes appeared right in front of it, making Ephraim stop his pace. And before he knew it, Evil Lyon unleashed his fury of dark spikes aiming at him and just when we thought Ephraim was done for, he was suddenly saved by… Eirika?!

"Eirika!" I cried out as the twin siblings fortunately managed to dodge in time.

_**"****Oh? What's this? The princess is playing hero?"**_ the Demon King said as Eirika stood up and looked at Lyon concerned.

"Lyon, please! You _must_ stop! I… we have no wish to fight you!" she consoled him.

"Eirika…" I got out as the Demon King chuckled.

_**"****Wretched girl. Are you listening, Lyon? Is this **_**truly**_** the girl you loved? Then I will use these hands to tear her limb from limb!"**_ the Demon King replied before it casted another spell circle in front of him, trying to rain down some more dark spikes on them again and this time, it's even larger than before and he has no intention of making it miss this time.

"No you don't!" Garren shouted as he ran up to protect Eirika and Ephraim and quickly slotted in five cards.

**DIAMOND TEN**

**JACK**

**QUEEN**

**KING**

**ACE**

As he took aim, the sound of a charged up energy shot was heard as Garren's finger was on the trigger. As soon as he pulled it…

**ROYAL STRAIGHT FLUSH**

Each blast passed through each hologram, the shot getting larger and larger and at the same time, Evil Lyon's dark cast was also shot out and the two attacks collided in the middle. _**"Do you **_**really**_** think you can defeat me?!"**_ Evil Lyon taunted as he pressed the attack even further, causing Garren's Royal Straight Flush to be overwhelmed little by little.

"Tch! C'mon, cousin! Let's give him some more firepower!" Chalice told Larc as both of them tried to go and help out Garren.

"Where do you think _you're_ going?" the Undead asked as it tried to approach them only to get a stronger slash from my golden King Rouzer that now resembled Excalibur. "What's this? You want to play?"

"Larc, Chalice! Help out Garren! I'll take care of Joker!" I said.

"We already know that!" both of them shouted as they noticed the twins holding Garren's back from skidding back and Garren looked like he can't hold on much longer. Chalice attached his Wild Slashers onto his Arrow and all of his cards appeared right in front of him, combining into one before he held it in his hand and roused it immediately.

**WILD**

"Time to add in for more firepower!" Larc pointed out before she roused her card too.

**MIGHTY**

With both shots charged up, Chalice slowly pulled his arrow back and both of them took aim before releasing it onto the collided shot. With now three shots against one dark force, it immediately turned the table around, causing the darkness to be overwhelmed by the combined force. The attack caused the Demon King to be crushed against the wall.

_**"****Gh!"**_ the Demon King cringed in pain.

"Master!" The Albino Undead cried out.

"Pay attention!" I shouted as I slashed the Albino Joker again, causing it to tumble. My armor glowed and the five cards I needed appeared in my hand and I slotted it in my King Rouzer.

**SPADE TEN**

**JACK**

**QUEEN**

**KING**

**ACE**

As it stumbled back, it tried to get its focus again, but Seth, Kyle, Forde, and Franz were there to distract it, which gave me enough time to charge up for an attack. The five holograms appeared right in front of me and I made my dash towards it.

**ROYAL STRAIGHT FLUSH**

With a war cry of my own, the knights moved out of the way, and when the Undead turned around, my blade already hits its stomach as it slowly tried to pass through its thick armor. "Gwahhhhhh!" the Undead cried out in pain. "You shall _never_ destroy me!"

"I may not destroy you, but I _can_ seal you!" I shouted as I took out a Common Blank. As I held one card on my hand and the King Rouzer on the other, it held my hand to make sure it can't touch it but with the help of Ephraim and Eirika holding onto my King Rouzer together, with our combined strength, applied more power and eventually, we slashed its whole body through cleanly before I covered both of them from the rather large explosion, than normal from it as the Common Card dropped near it.

"You two okay?" I asked.

"Yeah… we're okay…" Ephraim said as Eirika couldn't help but have a slight blush from my sudden action.

"Thank you for protecting us… even though you had to take the damage…" Eirika said slightly worried.

"It's alright." I waved it off. I then got up and went to pick up the Common Blank, before going to the burning Albino Joker. "You're finished." I muttered before I dropped the card on the Albino Joker and the latter was sealed up before I caught the card in my hand.

"Seems like you got that thing…" I turned to where the voice came from, and it was Father Moulder that approached to us, which I nodded.

"Melissa!" Natasha cried out as she approached her friend, who was still clutching her pain tightly as tears continued to flow out from her eyes. Natasha tried her best to ease Sempai's pain with her healing rod.

_**"****Gh…"**_ Evil Lyon cringed in pain as he held onto his tome in one hand and held his shoulder with the other. _**"This isn't good…"**_ he muttered before he teleported himself out from our view.

"He's getting… away…" Garren got out before his transformation cancel out and passed out onto Larc's arms, much to her surprise.

"Akira!" Larc cried out.

"Don't worry; he's just pushing his limits, that's all." Chalice said as he looked afar. "With his kind of damage, he should be that far… we better make chase before he gets away…"

"Yeah, I hear ya." I told him before the Pegasus Knights and Wyvern Riders landed next to us along with the rest of the troops.

"What happened here?" Glen asked.

"And why are the Riders cringing in pain?" Cormag added.

"Hey, what's going on around here, Kurogasa?" Tana asked concerned.

"Never mind that, we need to go after Lyon!" I urged.

* * *

Lyon arrived at another part of the river, at the same small isle where Syrene was protecting the remaining villagers. _**"Not yet…"**_ Evil Lyon muttered. _**"I have not the strength. But I am the Demon King… The world will be mine, as it was in ancient days. Injuries such as these are not enough to stop me…"**_As he tried to make an escape, Eirika, Ephraim, Innes, L'Arachel and I chased him and eventually, we were able to catch up to him, like Kurai stated before, while the rest of the group took care of the wounded ones in the battle.

"Demon King!" Ephraim shouted, gaining his attention as we stopped in our tracks.

_**"Oh? You were able to hunt me down in such short time… and not to mention be able to destroy my creation as well…"**_ Evil Lyon complimented. _**"Come, Eirika, Ephraim, and Rider. You should follow me. If you've the strength to defeat me that is…"**_ And with that, he warped it away again.

"Wait!" I demanded, but it was no use.

"We will not let you flee!" Ephraim shouted. "After him, Eirika! We have to find where he's gone. Search everywhere! I can't allow him to desecrate my friend's body any longer!"

"Calm down, Ephraim." Innes said. "There's no need to panic. The soldiers are following Prince Lyon's trail. Our trackers are excellent. They'll know his whereabouts momentarily."

"Really?" I asked him and Innes nodded.

"Ah… Good point. Well made." Ephraim complimented him.

"I _am_ a tactician after all… I always prepare and plan for anything." he told them. "By the way, there's something I need to speak with all of you about. The messenger I sent to Frelia returned not long ago. She brought a package I'd requested: Frelia's Sacred Twins." he said as he revealed another pair of the Sacred Twins at us.

"This is…?" L'Arachel asked him.

"You have the Sacred Twins?" Ephraim asked him.

"Yes. Frelia's Sacred Twins. Nidhogg, the Serpent Bow, and Vidofnir, the Winged Lance. I want you to take them."

"Are you sure?" Ephraim asked.

"Yes. And I entrust them to you." Innes said.

"But…"

"You're the leader of this army. Use them as you will." Innes said before Ephraim took both of the weapons from him and looked at it.

"Understood. I'll make sure they wind up in worthy hands. Thank you, Innes. This helps." he thanked as Innes turned away from him.

"Don't thank me. We're fighting for the same thing here: Victory." Innes reminded.

"Yes, as long as we still have the Sacred Stone, we still have hopes to continue on to seal our common enemy! We must get the last Sacred Stone to get a better chance of sealing the Demon King before it's too late!" L'Arachel told us as we all nodded in agreement. As the three of them went out, I noticed Eirika still looking at the place where Lyon was last stood.

"Lyon…"

"Eirika?" I got out.

"Is that… what you truly feel?" Eirika said to herself as she lowered her head. "I didn't know about it… at all…"

"Eirika…" I said walking to her placing my hand on her shoulder.

Even without holding her head up, she placed her hand on mine. "Kurogasa, I don't know what's going on anymore… I feel so… lost…"

"C'mere…" I said softly as I pulled her in close for a hug and she started to cry.

* * *

_After all of that chaos, in the end, Lyon escaped and while waiting for report from the healers, Amber, Akira, and Kurai were waiting outside of the tents before Natasha, Artur, L'Arachel and Father Moulder came out. "Well?" Kurai asked them._

_"We were able to heal their deadly wounds…" Father Moulder stated._

_"Yes, if it wasn't for their armor, they wouldn't_ be_ here… we should be grateful for that." L'Arachel added._

_"We were able to restore them to normal, from Melissa's broken ribs and both Storm and Mikoto's internal bleeding, but they'll need a lot of rest and as for their voices, they'll have a hard time talking the next day. Their voices will be hoarse and they'll be in pain when they speak…" Artur told him. Amber and Kurai sighed in relief._

_"Thank goodness for_ that…_ if not, I'll be taking that creep down with all of my fury!" Amber said furiously._

_"I hear ya cousin…" Kurai pointed out._

_"I'll go tell big bro about this." Akira said before he ran while letting out a sigh of relief. "Thank goodness Mikoto's okay…"_

* * *

I slowly walked with Eirika back to the camp as I held her close trying to calm her down as best I could. "I don't know… if I have the courage to fight him, Kurogasa." Eirika said sadly. "He's my friend and having that fiend possess him makes me feel weak. But… is what he said true? Is his true intention world domination? Lyon would never think such a thing… he's a kind person. I've known ever since my brother and I first met him…" she said as she looked down along the way.

"It may be _Fomortiis's_ intention to rule the world, but I don't think it was Lyon's." I answered.

"I know that… but, is there a way to save him from the Dark Stone?" she asked herself. "I really… don't want him to get hurt… or even be involved in this war. When I witnessed his sudden change, I couldn't help but be stunned. But, I know the Lyon I knew was still in there, calling for our help…" she said before she looked at me. "Don't you have any cards that will save him, Kurogasa?"

"I… I wish there were…" I said solemnly as I held Eirika even tighter. "But don't worry. I promise I'll do all I can to save your friend."

Eirika stayed quiet for a while as we finally reached the camp right in front of the abandoned castle. I then saw Akira running towards our direction with a smile. "Big bro! There you are! I was looking for you!"

"Me? About what?" I asked him as he filled in the details for me. Akira told that the injuries Sempai, Storm, and Mikoto received from the Albino Joker was an extreme one, causing them to have internal bleeding and break most of Melissa-sempai's ribs. If it weren't for their armors and sheer will, I don't think they would've survived. Even Father Moulder said it was a miracle for them.

"And that's it." Akira finished

"Thank goodness…" I said relieved.

"Yeah, and big sis Natasha will be watching over them if something odd happens. And the only thing they'll feel first in the morning would be a sore throat and being temporarily mute." he added before he noticed Eirika still saddened about Lyon's case. "Big sis, don't worry about it. I'm sure we'll be able to save him somehow. All we need to do is get rid of the Dark Stone he possesses, right, big bro?"

"I don't think it's that simple, but we'll do what we can." I told Akira. Still, if Lyon is such a kind person, why would he go this far and have the Demon King possess him? It doesn't make any sense. Maybe Knolls know something. "Akira, take Eirika back to the camp. I'm gonna go talk with Knoll about something."

Akira nodded and brought Eirika back to the camp and I went towards where Knoll might be… well, never mind, I saw him near the bonfire, reading a book and he was quite indulged with the contents in it. "Hm… I can even control the shadows of a living being? This is interesting…" he said to himself.

"Knoll, do you have a moment?" I asked.

He noticed my presence as he closed the book he before and looked at me with a small smile. "How can I be of service, Legendary Rider?"

"Please, call me Kurogasa." I waved it off.

"Oh, of course, my apologies then, Kurogasa."

"Don't worry about it." I told him. "Anyways, I wanted to talk to you about Lyon. From what I heard from Prince Ephraim and Princess Eirika, Lyon was a kind and gentle person. But now the Lyon we saw is all dark and sinister and now Fomortiis possesses him. I have a feeling that he didn't make a pact with the Demon King for no reason. What did Lyon originally intend to use the Dark Stone for?"

He put aside his book before he answered, "All Prince Lyon wanted was to help people… and we are his servants."

"Uh… mind explaining more about it?" I asked him, which he nodded.

"His _true_ intentions were about using the Sacred Stone of Grado for the sake of good. I'm sure Princess Eirika has told you about one of her stories regarding him saving a girl from an incurable burn with the power of the stone, correct?"

"Yes…"

"That was when his curiosity got the best of him…" Knoll added before he shifted his attention back to the bonfire. "After a while, a group of Elder Magic researchers, along with myself and Prince Lyon, discovered and used a 'forbidden' spell which allowed us to see in the future. What we saw was a massive earthquake that would engulf Grado in chaos. At that time, Prince Lyon decided to experiment with the Sacred Stone of Grado; which contained the spirit of the Demon King, Fomortiis…"

"Okay, but… how did he get possessed by it in the first place?"

"With Prince Lyon's continuous experimentation, he ended up splitting the stone into two halves; one that is still a Sacred Stone and the other, a dark stone with the spirit of the Demon King. When Prince Lyon tried to lay a hand on and tried to use the Dark Stone, he immediately fell under the Demon King's influence and was truly convinced that he might be able to avert the disaster by reviving the Demon King and harnessing his power…" Knoll concluded.

"Wow… this is too much to swallow down whole, I admit…" I told him.

"Indeed… we didn't know what his intentions were with the Dark Stone until it was too late. And as a result, the one you have seen is the same person with the Dark Stone held by him…" Knoll concluded.

"Hmmm…" I pondered. "Hold on, did Emperor Vigarde even _know_ about what he was doing?" I asked.

"It would seem that Eirika did not tell you about the Emperor's sickness, correct?" Knoll asked which left me confused.

"Sickness? You mean, what Seth told me about the death of the Emperor is true?" I pressed, which Knoll nodded.

"Correct. Emperor Vigarde died six months ago from an incurable disease, hence the reason why Prince Lyon wanted to experiment with the Dark Stone and crushed the Sacred Stone of Grado. He used the dark magic within the dark stone to resurrect the Emperor, now without any emotions and simply waging war of destroying the Sacred Stones held by four houses of Renais, Frelia, Jehanna and Rausten…"

"Reviving someone from the dead…" I said shaking my head. "That's something only an act of God can do."

"Indeed… I fear most if this living nightmare we're in now comes true…" he said as he looked at the bonfire, probably thinking about the wrath of the Demon King once all of the Stones have been destroyed and there being no way for us to defeat it at ANY cost; even the usage of Blanks has its limits…

"So… is there a way to save him?" I asked, hoping to find a way to somehow save Lyon.

"I'm sorry, Kurogasa… once he's under the Demon King's control, his soul and body are forever owned by it as it will take over in a swift… but I do remember there was a legend who was able to overcome the control of the Demon King, but I do not know much details of it…" he added before looking at me. "I'm sorry… but I'm afraid the Prince Lyon we knew is no more…" Oh man, I was afraid of that. What am I gonna tell Eirika?

"No…" A voice said.

"Huh?!" I gasped as Knoll and I turned around and saw… Eirika?! She heard the whole thing!

"This can't be true… please, let this be just another dream…" Eirika said getting slightly freaked out.

"I'm sorry… but it's the truth…" Knoll said lowly as he looked at the bonfire with his hood over his eyes. Eirika's tears flowed out from her eyes and was on her knees, clearly in shock and speechless.

"Eirika…" I got out as I went up to her and hugged her close as she continued to cry. "Eirika, I'm so sorry, I really am…"

"This can't be real… please it can't be real… Lyon…" Eirika sobbed as I continued to hold her close to me… but Knoll did point out something about a legend where someone was able to resist the temptation of the Demon King. I wonder if anyone from our group knows about it? I better ask them when I have the chance…

* * *

_Gerik was on guard tonight, watching the night sky filled with stars. Tethys approached and sat next to him, much to his surprise. "Tethys! Where did _you_ came from?!"_

_"Um, Chief? There's actually one thing I've been wanting to ask you." Tethys said as Gerik calmed down._

_"And that would be…?"_

_"Sorry if this brings up any bad memories, but how'd you get that scar on your face?" Tethys pointed out as Gerik traced the scar on his face and had a little smile._

_"This? I got _this_ beauty when I had just started out as a mercenary." he began. "I was still a novice, but I was feeling pretty good about my swordsmanship. I got to a point where I was arrogant enough to believe _no_ one could best me." he added as he looked down, still keeping the smile. "Then one day it happened… It's something I've never been able to forget."_

_"What happened?" Tethys asked him._

_"It was just another battle. I'd been hired on as another sword and then I met _him_." he said as he looked up at the sky. "He was a knight from some country or another. I had fought knights on several other occasions and had beaten them all. Even though he was a bit tougher, I was _sure_ I'd defeat him in the end. That's what I _thought_. But… His strength was _beyond_ me. I may as well have been using a _broomstick_ to fight. I remember thinking, "What a tiny little world I've been living in." He crushed me effortlessly, and the wound he inflicted became this lovely scar."_

_"I see…" Tethys said._

_"I was _truly_ frightened. It was the first time I'd experienced fear as a mercenary. So this knight saw how scared I was and said, "Go." He didn't kill me. He let me escape." he continued as Tethys was silent. "I was humiliated and ashamed. My eyes were finally opened to my own weakness. It goes without saying I lost every shred of self–confidence. I still _dream_ about it sometimes. It wakes me up every time. I've never forgotten that knight. He thought I was weak and pathetic."_

_"Chief…"_

_"I was young and stupid. This scar is my punishment." he said with a slightly sad after he rubbed it with his forefinger a few times._

_"But that knight spared your life. Because of that, good things and better things have happened." she said, leaving Gerik confused._

_"What do you _mean_, Tethys?"_

_"First of all Chief, you're alive. If you had died, all the good times you've had since that day, and all the joy you're _sure_ to have from this day onward, wouldn't exist. And another thing, because you lived, you made many friends and you met me. I also don't think that knight thought you were pathetic. I think he saw a young man with his whole life ahead of him. That's why he let you go."_

_"Tethys…"Gerik got out._

_"Yep. I'm sure, that's it." Tethys assured with a bright smile. "So try thinking about it in a more positive light."_

_After hearing her explanations, Gerik couldn't help but laugh. "I was a lot calmer after that. And while I've had hard times, there've been far more good times. I guess you could say I owe my success as a mercenary to that knight."_

_"Yep. You've got your knight, and I've got my dancer." Tethys pointed out. "Thanks to the two of them, the two of us are here now. Say, Chief, why don't we become like them? I think we should work at being inspirations to other people." she proposed as Gerik._

_"Hm… good idea. Thanks, Tethys. I think I'll sleep soundly tonight after I finish my turn on guarding before letting Kurai take over." Gerik smiled, causing Tethys to be gleeful._

_"Good. You know, Chief, I'm really happy." she expressed._

_"Yeah, me, too. I've got a life I enjoy and good companions. All that and a wonderful woman to love. Everyone should be so lucky." Gerik pointed out, causing Tethys to have a blush from what we said._

_"Oh! Chief!" Tethys cried out as she pushed him down and gave him a kiss on his lips._

_Gerik pushed her up by her shoulders as he tried to hold a grip of the situation. "Hey now… This is a battlefield. This isn't the place for that…"_

_"No one's looking…" Tethys said seductively as both of their gazes met._

_"Um… Oh, all right…" Gerik gave up and both of them continued where they left off._

* * *

Alright, that's another chapter down! Hope you guys enjoyed it! Review!

**Spade:** A, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, J, Q, K  
**Diamond:** A, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, J, Q, K  
**Heart:** A, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, J, Q, K  
**Club:** A, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, J, Q, K  
**Trial:** A, B, C, D, E  
**Joker: Albino**


	21. Chapter 18: Two Faces of Evil

Hey, hey, hey! It's your old buddy Fenikkusumaru! Let's start another chapter of Kamen Rider Blade: The Sacred Stones!

Disclaimer: Same thing.

* * *

Chapter 18: Two Faces of Evil

The next day had come by and Eirika and I were sleeping together in a tent that was just at the edge of the camp… throughout the night, Eirika kept crying and I tried my best to calm her down and be there for her, at first nothing seemed to work to calm her down, until _one_ thing did… we, um… ugh, I can't believe I'm saying this, but Eirika and I made love again last night. It was the only thing I could do to help Eirika calm down. I slowly pushed myself up before looking at her expression. Even though she sleeps quietly, her sad expression remained, probably still thinking of the fate of her beloved friend who's now in Fomortiis's grip. I can't really blame her though… she _really_ didn't see _that_ one coming, despite the fact Ephraim telling her, to which she denied. She still believes that the _real_ Lyon was still inside. After hearing what Knoll said, she just broke down.

"The story she heard last night was too much for her to bear… but there _has_ to be someone in the group who knows the legend of repelling the darkness within its host and Knoll isn't one of them…" I muttered to myself before I put on my clothes and went to take a breather by stepping out from the camp. Once I stepped out though, I noticed Ephraim practicing his lance against Storm… wow… he's recovering fast and manages to spar with Ephraim, despite his condition? That sure takes a lot of sheer willpower…

"Alright, this should be enough training for today…" Ephraim said as he lowered his lance and so did Storm as he nodded in agreement without saying a single word. "Storm, I think you should rest more since you, Melissa and Mikoto can't speak for a while because of your sore throat." The prince said as Storm rubbed his neck before he looks down and gave a slight nod. "But don't worry, the effect won't last long and I'm sure you'll be able to speak normally once again." he assured him. Storm smiled at that before walking away. What Akira said was true; the shockwave from yesterday's battle really killed his voice. Ephraim then turned around and noticed me. "Oh, you've awakened, Kurogasa." He smiled.

"Hey…" I muttered.

"I heard what happened last night from Knoll…" Ephraim said. "Is my sister feeling down about the truth she heard from him by pure accident?" he asked me, making me flinch.

"Um… yeah…" I got out. "I tried calming her down last night but nothing seemed to work until…" I couldn't finish what I wanted to say because I was blushing red.

Judging from his face, I think he fully understood what I was trying to tell him and placed his hand on my shoulder. "I see. Don't worry about it. As I said before, I won't hold it against you since I trust you for making my sister happy." Ephraim said before looking away. "But even _I_ couldn't believe it either… the Lyon that both Eirika and I knew is no longer with us, consumed by Fomortiis… I can't believe what that fiend is doing to my friend's body and soul…" he said slightly angry.

"I know…" I said. "Is there _truly_ no way to save Lyon?"

"If what Knoll said is true, then it's a fact we have to accept…" Ephraim stated. "For now, the only thing we can do is try to stop him from his madness of reviving the Joker Undead and unleashing his true darkness upon the world…"

"Right…" I agreed.

"Oh, and by the way, be sure to not release inside Eirika _too_ much or she might end up bearing your child _before_ the marriage." Ephraim said, making me blush heavily.

"W–What makes you say _that_?!" I panicked.

"Amber told me about it… though I don't know what she meant by a period affecting this outcome or some sort…" he said bluntly.

"Oh geez, Amber…" I groaned. Even at times like this, she _still_ somehow gets to me.

"In the meantime, we should wait for Innes's scouters to know where Lyon might be…" Ephraim said which I nodded.

When Ephraim took his leave, I went back into the tent and saw Eirika who was just waking up, having her bare body covered by the blanket as she sat up. "Hey Eirika…" I greeted as I went to and knelt next to her.

"Morning, Kurogasa…" Eirika replied as she looked afar and noticed her brother just taking his leave. "What did you and my brother talk about?" she asked me.

"Oh… about… Lyon…" I said softly.

"I see…" Eirika said sadly looking down. "Is there… _truly_ no way to save Lyon?"

"Don't give up just yet…" I tried consoling her as she looked down. "You heard what Knoll mentioned last night, regarding the legend, right? If we learned about it, maybe there's a way and still a hope to save him from it…"

"Are you sure?" Eirika asked, slightly happy, but still overwhelmed by sadness.

"I'm not _completely_ sure, but it's worth a try." I said as I held her cheek to make her look at me. "And please don't cry. I don't want to see you cry and shed tears. When you're sad, it makes _me_ sad. I want to see you smile. And when you do, I can protect that smile so you won't have to feel sad ever again."

"Kurogasa…" Eirika got out before her hand held mine that was on her cheek, smiling. "Alright… let's look for the solution… together."

"We will. I promise." I said then kissed Eirika, to which the latter returned before we pulled apart. Then my gentle smile turned into a smirk. "Now, we got some time before the Frelian scouters get here. You owe me a round."

"What?" Eirika scoffed giggling.

"I'm serious." I chuckled. "Last night kinda ended on a bad note, so I want _this_ time to end on a _good_ note."

"Oh, Kurogasa…" Eirika giggled before she embraced and kissed me passionately. She leaned back lying on her sleeping roll and I leaned down, being on top of her and before we knew it, we started making love again… and _this_ time; it would be on _good_ terms as well as taking note on what Ephraim told me…

* * *

_Meanwhile, Gilliam was looking afar on a view in front of him as Syrene noticed and approached with her Pegasus next to her and sits next to him. "Gilliam, how are you doing?"_

_He looks to his side seeing Syrene replied casually, "Everything's fine for now, but–" Gilliam paused when he noticed something odd about her. "Syrene? You look pale. Are you feeling unwell?"_

_"I'm fine, Gilliam. Don't worry about me." Syrene assured him as both of them looked to the view in front of them, silence accompanying them for a while._

_Gilliam decided to break the ice again. "…Syrene. People come to you when they need advice, right? If not, then towards Melissa before you joined us, that is…"_

_"They do, yes. Why do you ask? Don't tell me you need some advice from me." Syrene suspected as Gilliam nodded._

_"Yeah. Can we talk?"_

_"Oh… well… of course." Syrene answered. _

_Gilliam took a deep breath and then said, "People come to talk to me, too. Must be… the wisdom of age or something. But I don't know what to say. What do you do if you have no advice to give?"_

_"That happens _all_ the time." Syrene told Gilliam before she looks at him. "But I've learned something… People feel better as soon as they let it out. They just want you to listen. We're fighting a war. It's only natural that people get scared and need comfort."_

_"Do you… get scared?" Gilliam asked, making Syrene surprised from his sudden question._

_"_…_Gilliam. Is this all just an attempt to probe me for my problems?" Syrene asked, as Gilliam quickly looked away from her gaze._

_"Oh, er, don't be–" Gilliam stuttered as Syrene let out a small giggles before she stood up from where she sat and headed towards her Pegasus._

_"Don't worry. If I ever have any problems, I'll be sure to come to you." Syrene assured, which Gilliam smiled at._

_"…I'm always here." Gilliam nodded._

_"Thanks, Gilliam." Syrene said and with that last comment, she parted ways from Gilliam._

_"Maybe I should ask Melissa what to do… with these feelings inside of me… once she regains her voice…" Gilliam muttered to himself while looking at the woman._

* * *

_Meanwhile, Franz was walking around for a while and noticed Amelia practicing hard with her lance, having a spar with General Duessel, who willingly offered to teach her about weapon efficiency. "I think this would be enough for today." Duessel told her as Amelia sighed in relief after a hard practice._

_"Yes, thank you for teaching me, General Duessel." she said to him before Duessel walked away._

_"Hey, Amelia!" Franz called her as he approached her, catching her attention as she replied back with a wave. "Can I ask you something?"_

_"Sure, Franz! What is it?" Amelia asked._

_"Why did you become a soldier?"_

_The question startled her a bit before she looked down and replied, "…Because I was alone."_

_"Alone?" Franz asked confused._

_"Yes…" Amelia nodded. "When I was little, I lived in a remote village with my mother. One day… bandits raided our village and took my mother." she told him, surprising Franz. "I had no father… My mother was my only family. She was so sick… and so very weak…" Franz was really silent and he noticed Amelia shivering a bit. "When the bandits came… I hid under the bed… I hid there… trembling…"_

_"Amelia…" he got out as her trembling got worse as he recalled more of her past._

_"I wanted to protect her! I…wanted to be strong! Even if I couldn't win… I wanted to fight! To protect the only person dear to me…" Amelia told as tears were running down her eyes, Franz decided to do one thing he knew best… he embraced her, much to her surprise. "F–Franz?"_

_"I see now…. Thank you for telling me your story." Franz said calmly as the two broke off from their embrace and looked at her while wiping off her tears. "I want you to know this, Amelia. …My parents are gone, too."_

_"You… too…?" Amelia said stunned._

_"Yes… Well, I _do_ have a brother, though." Franz added. "But I don't remember my mother. But I swore that I would live my every moment to its fullest. I swore to my parents that I would live a long life for them and be happy. Amelia… You're living the same way, embracing each passing moment. You believe in yourself, and your faith burns in you, making you shine. I don't know what it is you plan to do with your life, but as long as we travel the same path, would you let me walk beside you?" Franz offered her, as Amelia was still confused. "I have my _own_ path to follow, I know, but… I believe we're both walking toward the same goal."_

_"Franz…" Amelia got out as she wiped her tears._

_"You don't like it?" Franz asked her._

_"No! That's not it." Amelia said shaking her head lightly and looked at him with a happy smile. "I'm… very happy! Franz…!" Both of them then embraced each other again._

_"Amelia, I'll protect you." Franz assured her._

_"Franz… Thank you… I'm really happy." Amelia replied to him as they won't break their hug anytime soon. "But… I want to protect _you_, too. I am a soldier of sorts as well, you know. So… let me be your shield to protect you…"_

_"And I will be your sword and fight for _you_. From now on, you're not alone anymore, Amelia." Franz comforted her as he felt her hug getting tighter as Amelia cried on his shoulders._

_"Thank you, Franz!" she cried out as she let out all of her tears she held as Franz was there at her side._

* * *

"That… was amazing, Kurogasa…" Eirika panted a bit.

"Yeah… it was…" I panted a bit too. "I think this qualifies as ending it on a good note." I chuckled.

"Indeed it does, Kurogasa…" Eirika slightly giggled as she rested her head on my chest, our bare bodies covered by the blanket. "As always, you know how treat a girl well…" she teased while she traced her finger on my chest in circles.

"Well, I do what I can." I shrugged. We were enjoying the moment, and everything was fine… until, _this_ happened…

"Goo~~d morning, you two!"

Yep, Amber _always_ comes in at the 'right' place at the 'right' time, which got both of us surprised from her sudden appearance, her head poking inside the tent as we both sat up, Eirika's bare body being covered by the blanket. "A–Amber!" Eirika said startled.

"Oh? Looks like you two are already done, huh?" Amber teased, as usual.

"Amber, get out of here…" I growled. "I don't want to cause a scene."

"Or what? You're going to hit me? You _do_ know you don't hit girls, right? Especially, if the girl that you tried to hit was your best friend's girlfriend," Amber continued as she giggled, _clearly_ enjoying the moment. "Maybe I should try telling the others about what I'm seeing here today."

"Amber! You promised you won't tell anybody about what you saw!" Eirika half–shrieked, having a heavy blush on her face.

"Don't worry about it, Eirika! You _know_ I don't break promises when it comes to _us_ girls!" Amber assured her.

"Then, _why_ are you still _here_?" I asked Amber, growling.

"Why? Does it bother you?"

"YES IT DOES!" I yelled.

"Alright, alright… sheesh, no need to get worked up…" Amber shrugged as if there was nothing going on before she left us, and both Eirika and I sighed in relief.

"Thank goodness it was just Amber… if it was someone else; I don't know how we should explain it to them…" Eirika said as we pondered. What she said _is_ true. Other than Amber and Ephraim, _everybody_ knew we're together but not _this_ close… and I can't _really_ imagine what would happen if Melissa–sempai saw me doing this with Eirika… brrrr, for some reason, that thought alone was enough to scare the heck out of me. "Kurogasa, why is your face pale?" Eirika asked concerned.

"Oh, just the scary thought of Melissa–sempai seeing us, like this…" I shivered.

"What makes you say _that_? She has that motherly nature in her and I understand why you look _up_ her so much… even _I_ have the same feeling towards her…" Eirika said. She clearly doesn't understand the wrath of Melissa–sempai.

"No, you _don't_ understand." I said. "If you get her angry, you'll see this aura of darkness seeping out of her while she smiles, and trust me when I say this, you _will_ be scared."

"Aura of… Darkness?" Eirika blinked, before she paled too. _Now_ Eirika's concerned, even though she hasn't experienced it yet. "T–Then, we should be on a lookout for her as well… if she finds out, sooner or later, we have to tell her the truth, right?"

"Yes, and we'll have to confess to Father Moulder too." I added.

"I–I see…" Eirika said as she sat up with the blanket covering her bare body. "I guess we should go out and try to find the person who knows about the legend for now…" Eirika decided.

"Yes, but first, we have to get our clothes on before someone _else_ walks in on us."

"R–Right." Eirika agreed.

* * *

_Inside another tent, Melissa slowly opened her eyes and sat up from where she slept. As she looked around, she noticed both Storm and Mikoto were nowhere to be seen, which leaves her all alone and probably the last one to wake up. As she pondered, she felt something inside her dress. She took a peek inside and noticed a bandage wrapped around her chest, with some sort of lotion that eased her pain. "A bandag–" Melissa got out, but couldn't finish her words as she suddenly felt sore on her throat and held her neck with her hand to ease the pain. Natasha came into the tent and noticed Melissa finally awake up from her sleep._

_"Melissa… you're awake!" Natasha cried out. She couldn't help but be at her friend's side and hugged her tightly, causing Melissa to wince in pain around her chest area. Realizing this, Natasha immediately broke off the hug and apologized. "Please forgive me! I was so worried about you and I thought you would never wake up from your sleep after you've passed out from the pain you had! And I'm really glad to see you okay once again…"_

_"Na… tasha…" Melissa smiled before she winced in pain due to her throat._

_"Oh, that's right! Melissa, you shouldn't talk too much. What that fiend did to you caused you to lose your voice for now but don't worry, you can regain your voice after having enough rest…" Natasha said. "Of course… Kurai made this for you…" Natasha said as she took out a small bottle, which it turned out to be another elixir and gave it to Melissa. "He was worried for you, so he went to a nearby forest to find the suitable herbs for you to regain your voice and ease the pain on your chest area…"_

_Melissa couldn't help it but smile as she looks at the elixir. "Thank… you… Kurai…" she said before she held her neck in pain once again._

* * *

_"How are you Mikoto? Are you okay?" Akira asked concerned. Mikoto only nodded as she still couldn't talk due to her voice muted temporarily. "I'm so glad that the healers were able to heal you up from those injuries you had…" he added before he looked at her. "I know that you were worried for me and such, but when I saw you in danger and took the blow for me, I couldn't help but feel like I'm the weakest link amongst the Rider team… and uh–" Akira stopped talking when Mikoto had her forefinger placed on his lips before she leans forward and kissed him, much to his surprise. After a while, the two broke off and both of them blushed._

_"Ba…ka…" Mikoto teased, even though the effect from the injury took its toll on her as she placed her hand on her neck._

_"Mikoto–chan!" Akira said concerned as he panicked a bit, before handing her a glass of water near him, just in case if she needed to drink, which she took and drank it whole. After all of that, Akira pondered about what she said and he chuckled. "Yeah… I guess thinking about it would only make it worse. But I'll be sure the next time you're in danger, I'll be sure to be on your side. I promise you that, Mikoto–chan!" Mikoto only nodded as she leaned in and kissed Akira again._

* * *

Thankfully nobody walked in on us while got on our clothes. After changing, Eirika and I immediately went to Father Moulder for this. At first, Father Moulder had a sliver of weariness in all of this, but nonetheless after we confessed, playing his role as Priest, he absolved both of us of our sins, thankfully. "We're really sorry about this Father Moulder." I chuckled nervously rubbing the back of my head.

"I understand you two are very much in love with each other and I'm happy for you both, but you two _need_ to learn how to control your urges." Father Moulder said raising an eyebrow with a small smile.

"Yes, Father Moulder…" Eirika said while looking down.

"It's just that… we couldn't help it…" I replied to him as Father Moulder shook his head lightly with a smile on his face.

"Temptation is something that we can't ignore, but it is something we can prevent. Be sure to be aware of it before things get harder for you…" Father Moulder advised fatherly.

"Yes Father Moulder…" We said in unison and with that, Father Moulder left us.

"Well, that was better than I thought. I thought that he was going to explode on us." I said.

"I know… but he was… calm and collective." Eirika pondered.

"And not easily agitated too… only to have full concerns." I added before we heard some footsteps heading towards us. It was Innes that approached us.

"What are you two doing here?" Innes asked us stoically.

"O–Oh… no reason." I lied. Thankfully, he didn't care. "What brings _you_ here?"

"I have received reports regarding the elusive Lyon…" Innes informed. As soon as Eirika heard his name, she approached him.

"Innes, do you know where he might be?" Eirika pleaded.

"He's heading north from our position, heading towards Neleras Peak." Innes stated.

"How far _is_ it from here?" I asked.

"We should arrive there in two days' time… which would be enough for those guys to be prepared for the worst as well as make a good recovery…" Innes pondered. "But, that place is a treacherous place…"

"How come?" Eirika asked.

"From what I heard, that place is said to be where that area is unfit for human habitation… and there are numbers of gorgon eggs in the forbidding landscape, especially in their season as they will try to protect them with everything they got. Only a few of them are able to survive the hatching process as most of them end up either drowned within the cracks of magma or overheat to the point of being cooked fully…" Innes explained.

"Ooooooh, definitely don't want to eat _that_ for breakfast." I cringed.

"That's right, and we also have to watch out from their stare as it will try to petrify us before crushing us into ashes… or even attack us from afar with their demonic surge…" Innes added.

"Well, we better rally up the troops after breakfast." I said.

"Yes. We should get a move on while Lyon is still there… this might be a good chance for us to save him from being possessed by that Dark Stone and get the second Sacred Stone before it is too late…" Innes said before he walked away from us.

"Lyon… please be safe…" Eirika prayed.

"Don't worry." I said holding on to her hand, looking at her. "We'll find the solution… together."

"Right…" Eirika smiled gently.

* * *

After two days of journey heading towards Neleras Peak, there weren't any monsters or bandits that attacked us in plain fields that we've went through all day. At the same time, Melissa–sempai, Storm and Mikoto slowly regained their voices but still have to endure the pain if they wanted to shout or talk louder than normal, but that doesn't stop them from having a good time with the friends we've made along the way.

"Mt. Neleras, huh? Whenever I think about it, the only thing I could think off was using my staff to heal you guys from getting petrified…" L'Arachel began.

"Honestly, why is it every time we go, there's always going to be troublesome problems?" Rennac complained.

"It seems like you're looking forward to this mess, huh? Me too!" Dolza laughed misunderstanding his situation, making Rennac face palm.

"As always… your ability to misunderstand the situation is simply phenomenal…" Rennac noted.

"Just don't talk to him then." Amber said.

"I didn't…" Rennac deadpanned.

"Then… don't…" Colm pointed out.

Meanwhile, as L'Arachel happily led the group towards our destination, Eirika wondered about her country. From what _I_ heard from her, Rausten is a Theocracy of Magvel, and they have tolerance regarding the darkness; which got us thinking. Could L'Arachel know about a legend that we heard from Knoll the other day? It was then Eirika approached her. "L'Arachel? May I ask for your advice?" she asked.

"What is it, Eirika? There's no need to be so formal." L'Arachel informed.

"It's about Lyon…" She said. "My brother was right. Lyon's been possessed by the Demon King. He… He's no longer the Lyon I once knew. But I can't help feeling… there _must_ be some way to bring him back. L'Arachel could only stay quiet.

"C'mon L'Arachel, you have to help." I said. "Eirika wants to save him. I heard that Rausten is the spiritual heart of Magvel. They keep the ancient lore. You're their princess. You must know _something_ about the demons of legend. Is there anything that can save Lyon?"

"…I'm so sorry, Eirika, Kurogasa. To the best of my knowledge, there is no way to aid him."

"That can't be!" Eirika protested. "There must be _something_! Any clue… no matter how slight!"

"Our oldest legends tell us just this…" L'Arachel sighed. "Only one person has ever been able to shake off the Demon King's domination. Rausten's founder, Saint Latona the sure–hearted, shattered his fetters. If one possesses a strength of will beyond that of normal men… Only _then_ can one throw off the shackles of the Demon King. But you saw it yourself, Eirika, with your own two eyes. Your friend Lyon's body has already been claimed by the Demon King. Once it's gone that far, there's nothing that can be done. When the Demon King takes over someone, he devours his spirit, his very soul. Even if his hold on Lyon's body could be released, that body would have no soul. There is no power in Rausten… not even a Sacred Stone… that can perform so great a miracle as to restore a shattered soul."

"No way…" I said. Truly, I was in a shock to hear there's no way to save him anymore, not even the Sacred Stones couldn't do anything about it…

"But… Lyon…" Eirika said in disbelief as she started shedding tears and I stood by her side and tried to calm her down.

"Eirika…" L'Arachel began. "I understand how you feel, but the prince is gone. The Lyon you knew no longer exists. It's more important now that you care for yourself. If we pursue the Demon King, we're likely to suffer for it. I want you to return to Rausten Palace and rest yourself." L'Arachel told her before she shifted her attention to me. "And I suggest you would do the same thing as well, Mr. Rider. We have to be prepared for the worst if the Demon King himself would emerge from him and we needed your assistance to defeat it at _any_ cost."

"Eirika…" I got out looking sadly at her.

After Eirika calmed herself down, she looked at the upbeat princess with a determined look. "Thank you, L'Arachel. However, I _must_ stay with the company. I have to believe there's _something_ I can do to help him. Lyon was always so kind. He wanted nothing more than to help people. It's too terrible to picture him imprisoned by the Demon King. Imprisoned …with no hope of salvation." she added as she was saddened by that.

* * *

After a while, the Frelian trackers led us to the heart of the peak which was at some of a valley within it. "This way! The enemy went into the recesses of this valley." A tracker said.

"Ugh… this place reeks!" Amber said covering her nose.

"It smells like sulfur…" Kurai pointed out. "And the smell is coming from the valley itself."

"Oh my…" Melissa–sempai expressed as she held her nose, clearly, not liking the odor. "It really smells bad…" she let out before she coughed.

"No kidding…" Mikoto added.

"No _wonder_ there's any population around here…" Storm noticed as Ephraim spotted something from afar.

"Are those… eggs?" Ephraim asked as Myrrh took a closer look.

"Gorgon eggs… There are so many…" she pointed out.

"This can be dangerous if we leave it be…" Saleh added as we started to hear some sort of a crack coming from the egg near us.

"Uh–oh! They're hatching!" I cried out.

"No… He's led us into a trap!" Ephraim cried out. "Watch out! Everyone, steer clear of those eggs!"

"No, we destroy them!" I countered. "Riders! Let's go!" I urged.

"Yeah!" the rest of them agreed immediately as we already slotted in our cards.

The injured ones said normally while the rest of us shouted to commence our transformation, "HENSHIN!"

**TURN/OPEN UP**

**CHANGE**

Seven holograms appeared right in front of us and we dashed through it, shooting and slashing out the hatching eggs, not giving them a chance to surface the world.

"Is he crazy?!" Ephraim said shocked. "Don't they know the danger of facing a Gorgon head on?!"

"Maybe not on fully grown Gorgon, but the ones hatching are harmless, if killed quickly." Seth said. "Kurogasa is right; we _must_ destroy the Gorgon eggs before they fully hatch."

"He's right!" Kyle informed. "While we still have the chance, we _must_ take them all out!"

"We'll take care of the hard–to–reach places in the air." Glen said before the group of Pegasus Knights and Wyvern Riders soared to the sky and trying to locate them from afar.

"As the rest of us, be sure to be careful when facing these Gorgons… one stare is enough to turn you into stone and if you are within range, it will unleash an attack on us, so always be on guard!" Seth informed the rest of the troop before they went on and started hunting the eggs and killing them.

* * *

_Meanwhile…_

_"The Riders have arrived…" a figure stood firmly as it had a black helmet with orange eyes, having firm pads on his chest leather armor, with upward shoulders pad mounted on his shoulder. On the lower parts of his armor, it had a few straps of belts wrapped around his thigh and wearing orange spiky gloves, bracers and boots. This is Trial F Undead, an Energy–Type Undead._

_"Yes, I noticed it…" Another figure said as it had a white skull mask on its head, bluish black armor on the upper part of his chest, with pure black veins all over it. A sickle rested on its right shoulder and it held a rather long sword in its hand. On the lower part of his body, it had straps of belt wrapping around its thighs and a few spikes emerging on the back of their thighs, wearing black boots. This is the Trial G Undead, the Fighting–Type Undead. "…and we cannot let them get to the queen…"_

* * *

**KICK**

**THUNDER**

**MACH**

The holograms of Kick Locust, Thunder Deer, and Mach Jaguar entered my armor.

**LIGHTNING SONIC**

The whole world around was in slow motion as the cracks were also being delayed. With one big leap, I took my aim over the clusters of eggs and dived down for the kill, splattering the eggs all over the place as the unborn Gorgon were killed with the power of my kick and spark.

**BULLET**

**RAPID**

**FIRE**

The holograms of Bullet Armadillo, Rapid Pecker, and Fire Fly entered Garren's armor.

**BURNING SHOT**

"I'd like my eggs scrambled and little runny please!" Garren shouted cheekily as he fired a volley of fireballs at the eggs making them splatter all over the place.

**SCREW**

**BLIZZARD**

The holograms of Screw Mole and Blizzard Polar entered Leangle's armor as her hands were covered in frost.

**BLIZZARD GALE**

"This place is really hot… I don't know how you were able to survive this heat… let me help cool you young babies down…" Leangle said gently before she thrusts her arms forward, covering her attack area as frost wrapped around the eggs, to the point of completely freezing all the eggs. "Oops… I guess I overdid it..." she said slightly concerned.

"You're not supposed to help these gorgons hatch…" Chalice sweat dropped.

"Oh… right." Leangle slightly giggled. Chalice couldn't help but shake his head lightly over his girlfriend's kind antics. "Alright, I guess I should 'break the ice' to 'free' them, then…" Chalice said to himself before he roused three cards into his disposal.

**FLOAT**

**DRILL**

**TORNADO**

With the holograms of Float Dragonfly, Drill Shell, and Tornado Hawk conjured out from his armor, he pushes his Arrow forward to activate his signature move.

**SPINNING DANCE**

"Let's take it for a spin!" Chalice declared before he started floating and spinning rapidly. When he reached a certain height, he dove down his drill drop kick onto the frozen eggs, kicking them away either to million pieces or off to the volcanic magma nearby.

"Oh my… I hope you weren't _too_ violent to them, just because they're not born yet…" Leangle said to him as Chalice landed next to her.

"Let's just go find more eggs…" Chalice muttered.

**TRIAL… C/D/E**

"Wohoo! Time to go Clock Up frenzy time!" Glaive chirped before she coughed a bit and enter hyper speed mode.

Meanwhile, Lance cracked his knuckles while looking at the row of eggs in front doing a sing along. "Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall… well; let's see what happens after he takes FLIGHT!" Lance declared as he smashed his double–axed fist to the ground, causing most of the eggs to fly up a few meters before Larc let out rapid fires from her Gatling gun, turning the whole place into a splatter house.

"This is too easy!" Larc chirped. What she said was gonna bite her back… hard, as a javelin that was targeting her from somewhere missed her inches away and when she looked up, she noticed some gargoyles and Arch Mogalls protecting this place too. "Okay, so maybe not…" A few arrow shots were heard and it was heading towards the heart of some gargoyles, making them drop dead. Larc turned around and saw that both Neimi and Innes were the ones who killed them.

"A–Are you okay?" Neimi asked her.

"Yeah, I guess…" Larc replied as Glaive returned to her normal speed.

"We're not alone… this whole place is the valley for monsters…" Innes told them.

"Well, we better take them out too!" I said.

* * *

_Meanwhile, Syrene took out another few Arch Mogalls that have been chasing her for a while and she was able to kill it on top of the flat, uncharted ground with her sword impaling its big eye and onto others that shared the same fate. "This should take care of it…" Syrene said to herself. Before she was about to take flight, she heard a voice calling out to her from the sky and it turned out to be Vanessa calling to he_r.

_"Captain Syrene!" she cried out as she landed her Pegasus next to her sister._

_"It seems like you've managed to kill a few of Arch Mogalls on your own! Glad to see you alright after seeing you defeat them…" Vanessa added, making Syrene sigh softly._

_"Vanessa, you know you don't need to talk like that when we're alone." Syrene told her little sister._

_"But we _are_ on duty." Vanessa reminded her, which Syrene got a superb idea._

_"Let me put it this way, then." Syrene spoke. "This is an order from your captain! When we're alone, you are to speak to me as if we are at home."_

_"Yes, ma'am!" Vanessa saluted._

_"Vanessa…" Syrene sighed softly before talking to her sternly. "Did you listen to a word I said?"_

_The stern tone was enough to make Vanessa shake a little bit. "Y–Yes… Sis…"_

_"Yes, that's it!" Syrene said delightfully. "Oh, by the way, I have something for you."_

_"What is it?" Vanessa asked her as Syrene handed her an item that was wrapped in white cloth._

_"Father wanted me to give it to you." Syrene told her as Vanessa unwrapped the cloth that covered it, and she was a bit surprised to see it in her hands._

_"This is… a battle amulet." Vanessa said which Syrene nodded._

_"Yes, it is." Syrene spoke. "I received one before I left home, too. You were summoned so suddenly that Father didn't get a chance to give it to you. And Mother wanted to tell you, "Never be apart from this amulet.""_

_"But…"_

_"She also wanted you to relax and do your best. And to get a good night's sleep always." she further added._

_"Well, I do try." Vanessa said lowly._

_"Maybe others don't notice, but I know you _too_ well, Vanessa. I know you don't get enough rest when you feel overwhelmed with responsibility. But, to be at your best, you need to take care of yourself, OK?"_

_"Yes, ma'am– I mean, Sis." Vanessa confirmed._

_"Once we have taken care of the mess around here and get a safe place for the camp, I'll be right by your side tonight, so just relax. You need a good night's sleep. I can tell the others to let them take over the lookout." Syrene told her._

_"Thanks, Sis. I sleep better when you're around." Vanessa appreciated it before both of them noticed a few groups of Gargoyles heading towards their direction and Tana with the Wyvern Riders began their advance._

_"Let's go, Vanessa. We should assist Princess Tana to defeat those fiends…" Syrene commanded as she mounted on her Pegasus._

_"Yes, Captain Syrene!"_

* * *

"Man this is ridiculous! These guys won't quit!" I snapped as I was already Jack Form and slayed another Gargoyle.

"Yeah, and they just keep coming at us!" Colm complained as he slashed another Mogall with his dual daggers. "Just how long do we have to keep up with these shenanigans?"

"Until we cleared them all, that's what…" Joshua added before he slashed away another Gargoyle with his sword dance technique, turning them into chunks of meat with his ice sword. "…and that's just plain ridiculous!"

"We must not forget about the eggs… more of them are being hatched out… they might be just hatchlings and have no petrify abilities yet, but their darkness beam is enough to wound a mortal fatally." Seth further informed.

"Well, I'm gonna have to do this then!" Garren said as he placed his Rouze Absorber and took out his two cards.

**ABSORB QUEEN**

**EVOLUTION KING**

With the golden Giraffa plaque are on top of his Rouze Absorber, and going into King Form, he took aim at the sky and unleashed a rather long shot of laser at them, creating a hole in them before they dropped to the ground, dead.

"That's some serious firepower…" Colm added with a sweat drop.

"And that's just for them. _This_ is for the eggs and hatchlings!" Garren said taking out the five cards and slotted them in his King Rouzer.

**DIAMOND TEN**

**JACK**

**QUEEN**

**KING**

**ACE**

The holograms of Thief Chameleon, Fusion Peacock, Absorb Serpent, Evolution Giraffa, and Change Stag appeared in front of him aiming at the vast cluster of eggs that were hatching. As soon as he pulled the trigger…

**ROYAL STRAIGHT FLUSH**

…a rather large laser shot out from the barrel as each laser passed through each hologram, extending its wide range of attack until eventually, it diminished the eggs and hatchlings within their range as smoke appeared from his barrel. "Well, that takes care of th–"

*SLASH!*

"Gwah!" Garren cried out, tumbling down a bit as Joshua and Colm approached to him as Seth and I looked at the assailant of Garren…

"It seems like you're trying to kill these little spawns, huh… Blade?" Trial G stated after resting his long sword on his shoulders once it looked at us.

"Trial G?!" I gawked.

"We won't let you hurt the younglings." Trial F said as it appeared.

"Trial F too?!" Lance said surprised.

"The last two Trial Undead." I muttered. "After that, then it's the Joker Undead."

"Yeah… but…" Joshua began as he looked around. "Where's the Gorgon Queen herself?"

"They are taking care of your other friends for the time being…" Trial G chuckled.

"'They'?" I asked.

"You really think only a single Queen would lay such enormous amount of eggs in a day?" Trial F was screwing with us, making us shocked.

"This isn't good…" Seth pointed out.

"I'm going!" I said as I took flight. "I'll leave them to you, Lance, Garren! I gotta find Eirika!"

"Right!" The two said.

* * *

Man where _is_ she?! After hearing on what those two Trials stated, there's the possibility of more than one Gorgon Queen, which the rest of the team didn't know, and the possibility of petrifying them in group is really high! If I'm too late, Eirika might end up turning into stone and be crushed by the whip of the Gorgon's tail or blast! I _can't_ let that happen!

*BOOM!*

Eh? The sound of an explosion is nearby… as I looked closer, I can see Eirika and Ephraim keeping on dodging from one of the blasts coming out from the claws of the Gorgon. As both of them continued to run, the Gorgon kept chasing them until when she passed through a corner…

*SLASH!*

A shriek in pain was heard from one of the Queen Gorgons as its head was decapitated and sliced into pieces before its head rolls towards the lava. Marisa and Gerik stood up and looked at the damage. "Will you look at that? You plan really worked!" Gerik pointed out.

"Of course, Gerik. As I stated before, I don't pick fights I can't win." Ephraim reminded him.

"Yes, that should take care of the Queen… with this alone it's enough to make their forces weak…" Marisa nodded before they spotted me up above.

"Kurogasa?" Eirika said in confusion as I landed next to her and immediately hugged her. "K–Kurogasa, what's wrong?" she asked me slightly blushing.

"Thank goodness you're okay. I thought you were turned to stone or worse…" I said relieved.

"What are you talking about? We've already taken care of the Queen here, so we don't have to worry about it…" Ephraim told me.

"Their forces should have been weakened right about now…" Gerik informed.

"No, I don't think one Queen is enough to weaken the whole force…" I spoke.

"What do you mean by _that_?" Eirika asked me.

"Wait, Kurogasa… are you telling me there are more than one of these things?" Ephraim asked.

"Yes, and we better find the others too." I urged.

* * *

_"Dang Gorgon Queen, hold still, will ya?!" Larc said annoyed as she shot more arrows only for the Gorgon to slither away to dodge the arrows._

_"Stay calm cousin." Chalice advised._

_"Yes, stay calm and won't miss." Leangle said._

_"Die you, slimy snakey!" Glaive threatened trying to slash at it. The Queen was agile as most of their attacks missed before it whipped Glaive away with its tail, followed by a blast from its claws onto Larc, hitting her right on the target. "Owie~!" Glaive groaned in pain as Saleh and Ewan appeared right in front of it, blinding the Gorgon Queen's vision with their anima magic before Knoll used his phantasms to possess the dead hatchlings and cling on the Gorgon Queen._

_"Everyone, close your eyes!" Knoll commanded as everyone within the area did so. The Gorgon Queen let out a shiny glow on its eyes, causing the hatchlings around her to be turned into stone. Unknown to herself, the roots of the hatchlings are deep within itself, causing to turn her whole body into stone too._

_"Yaaah!" Ross yelled his war cry as he and Garcia cleaved the petrified Gorgon Queen in half, making it to crumble into ashes._

_"Yes, we did it! We've defeated the Gorgon Queen!" Garcia said out loud._

_"Yeah, dad! With the Queen gone, we don't have to worry much about being petrified!" Ross added._

_"Wohoo! Our magic worked well, teacher!" Ewan told him._

_"Yes… yes, it did…" Saleh said as Myrrh approached them with concern on her face. "Lady Myrrh, what seems to be bothering you?" he asked._

_"The monsters… they're not going away…" Myrrh said._

_"What do you mean by _that_?" Saleh asked._

_"Didn't we just chop this thing in half already?" Ross questioned._

_"Yes, but the monsters are not going away…" Myrrh said. "That could only mean… there's more than one Gorgon Queen…"_

_"Are you for real?!" Larc shouted in disbelief, causing the Great Dragon to hide behind Saleh._

_"Now, now… we should calm down, Amber…" Leangle said._

_"I don't know how many there are left, but we better be quick or else, we're gonna be stone cold…" Chalice added before they noticed the young hatchlings surrounding them._

_"For the time being, we better take them out…" Garcia concluded before the rest of them attacked the hatchlings. Unknown to the rest of them, Evil Lyon looked all of the battles from afar._

**"Two down already? Just two more to go… you sure have brought me joy in this battle…"**_ Evil Lyon muttered to himself._

* * *

"And now, explode into oblivion!" L'Arachel declared as she and Lute casted magical blast onto the enemy, causing some of the Mogalls and Gargoyles to explode into tiny little pieces while Innes and Neimi shoot out a volley of arrow shots onto the Gargoyles at the sky. Meanwhile Father Moulder used his Restore staff to turn back Amelia and Tethys back into normal from stone as Franz, Kyle and Forde were protecting them from harm.

"Fuh, I'm glad I've returned back to normal…" Amelia sighed in relief.

"Yeah, but how are we supposed to handle that snake?" Tethys pointed out as it continued to unleash a strong blast of black waves onto the knights that were distracting it.

**ABSORB QUEEN**

**EVOLUTION KING**

When the three heard the source of the sound, they noticed me running towards the Gorgon the knights tried to distract. "Out of the way!" I shouted as the three immediately moved aside and let me take control of the battle.

"Princess Eirika, Prince Ephraim, you're alright!" Seth said relieved.

"Yes, we are…" Eirika told him.

"How fare is this situation?" Ephraim asked him.

"The Gorgon Queen has finally emerged itself after we have blasted away her eggs…" Seth informed them as I chopped its tail before she countered back with a dark blast from its claws onto me. As I stumbled back a few times, the Gorgon Queen let out a hiss for chopping her tail off, hence making its lose its balance.

"Now to finish you off!" I yelled taking the five cards needed.

**SPADE TEN**

**JACK**

**QUEEN**

**KING**

**ACE**

The holograms of Time Scarab, Fusion Eagle, Absorb Capricorn, Evolution Caucasus, and Change Beetle appeared in front of me leading to the Gorgon Queen.

**ROYAL STRAIGHT FLUSH**

The Gorgon Queen let out a flash in my direction, which had no effect on me whatsoever when I'm in this armor as I dashed forward with my blade charged up to maximum. When I've reached the end of the line, I delivered a cross slash attack on its body before I finished it off with a cut on its eyes and a stab directly through its skull, causing its whole body to explode into minced meat while its head is still on my blade…

"That's overkill, don't you think?" Forde asked.

"Nah, we've seen worse than _this_ before…" Gerik waved it off.

"Yes, we've even see him chop his enemy into chunks of meat, _including_ its organs…" Ephraim recalled.

"Please, I don't wanna remember that." I said as I flicked the head off my King Rouzer, sending the Gorgon head into the magma below.

"That takes care of the Queen. The forces should be withdrawing back now…" Franz said, but Ephraim shook his head in denial.

"No, it's not over yet… there are still more of them around here…" Ephraim said which made them surprised.

"You mean… there are _more_ of these Gorgon Queens?" Father Moulder said in a surprise.

"Yeah, and we better find them too." I said.

* * *

_"Gwah ha ha ha! Chop! Chop! Chop!" Dolza laughed, enjoying himself as he kept swinging his Battle Ax around in his jolly mood as more of them were cut down with his mighty swing._

_"You're not running anywhere this time!" Gilliam shouted as he stabbed his lance deep into the ground, and the Gorgon Queen was unable to make its escape as it attacked him with her claws, scratching his armor up before he was saved by Duessel from plunging into the molten magma. "Thanks."_

_"Think nothing of it. We _are_ fighting on the same side, after all…" Duessel told him._

_"Feel my superiority of my magic!" Lute boasted as she casted an Elfire Spell onto the gargoyles that tried to attack Natasha from healing Rennac, blasting it into minced meat before Cormag and Glen advanced onto the lessened Gargoyles remains. The two Falcon Knights and one Pegasus Knight took their formations as they were heading towards the sitting duck Gorgon Queen._

_"Pegasus Knights, you know what we should do next!" Syrene commanded them._

_"Of course, Captain!" Vanessa replied._

_"It's time for our signature attack!" Tana complied._

_"TRIANGLE ATTACK!" The three shouted in unison. Tana took the middle route and both Syrene and Vanessa went on the opposite directions, making the Gorgon Queen confused._

_At the same time…_

**CLUB TEN**

**JACK**

**QUEEN**

**KING**

**ACE**

_With the five holograms of Remote Tapir, Fusion Elephant, Absorb Tiger, Evolution Tarantula, and Change Spider appearing right behind the Gorgon Queen, Leangle in her King Form took her stance and dashed towards its direction with one move she knew well…_

**ROYAL STRAIGHT FLUSH**

_With all four corners surrounded, all was too late for it for the Gorgon Queen as the three came fast to it and three lances pierced through its body before Leangle stabbed her King Rouzer deep within its body, thus killing the last Gorgon Queen into chunks of meat before the three Pegasus Knights took off to the sky once again and Leangle took a deep breath after the stab._

_"Hey, look! They're retreating!" Tana pointed out as the surviving Gargoyles and Mogalls were making their escape._

_"That's the view I was waiting for…" Rennac sighed in relief as Natasha finished healing him. "Thank you, Sister."_

_"You are welcome…" Natasha said to him. _

_Wild Chalice didn't like ending the battle halfway. "You guys ain't running away THIS TIME!" Chalice declared as he equipped his Wild Slashers onto his Arrow and all 12 of his cards formed into one card as it flew towards his hand. He then immediately roused it onto his Rouzer._

**WILD**

_"This is the finishing touch…" Chalice declared as he pulled back his arrow while aiming at the escaped monsters. Glen and Cormag got out of his range of fire._

_"Finish them off!" Glen shouted at Chalice._

_"Allow me to boost it up!" Lute shouted as she urged her horse to be right next to Chalice and she charged up the attack, focusing her Fire Magic onto it, and it drastically increased its firepower before he shot his beam onto them, thus clearing the sky of fiends._

_"That takes care of that…" Chalice noted as Leangle walked next to him._

_"Indeed… all we need to do now is to take out the remaining hatchlings before meeting back with the group…" Leangle said as they nodded in agreement._

_Natasha pondered a bit while she looked to the side. "I wonder… if Joshua is okay."_

* * *

_"Whoa!" both Lance and Garren dodged both of the attacks from Trial F, which was unleashing its beams of fury onto the Riders while Joshua, Seth and Colm were handling Trial G with their weapons in hand._

_"That's it. Time to show this freak my own signature move!" Joshua said as he gets into a stance with his Audhulma and performed the sword dance, creating mirages of himself._

_"Yeah, time to go all out!" Colm said as he spun both of his daggers and lowered his body to prepare for his stealth attack._

_"Then, I shall take the lead!" Seth declared before he held his Silver Sword high and ran towards the prepared Trial G, which anticipated his arrival but not expecting his next moves. When it tried to deliver a strong punch towards Seth, he played smart by sliding between its legs as he managed to stab his sword onto the stomach of the Undead before making it through. The Undead wasn't expecting the next two attacks as Colm was in a blur, slashing down his dagger onto its exposed back with his dual daggers, creating sparks on it before Joshua finished it off with five way slash attack onto the Undead before he stood far behind the Trial Undead. It dropped down dead before an explosion occurred, which indicated the three attacks on it were a success. Colm was excited while Joshua and Seth had a smile on their faces._

_"Wow! We really took down an Undead on our own!" Colm said happily._

_"Indeed. With our combined force and Prince Joshua's Sacred Twin, we were able to achieve the impossible…" Seth noted as he pressed his sword further down on the burning Undead._

_"Yeah. For now, this Undead is considered dead." Joshua said as he sheathed his Sacred Twin back into its sheath._

_"Lance, give me some cover! I'm gonna blast Trial F Undead!" Garren said._

_"Eh?" Lance said confused by what he just said before he dodged one of the energy blasts coming from Trial F to the side. "Fine, you wanna play _rough_?! Two can play at _that_ game!" Lance declared before he took two cards from his deck and roused it onto his Rouzer._

**TRIAL… B**

**TRIAL… D**

_With two holograms conjured in front of him, he puts away his Rouzer on his back and now donned himself in his Trial Form with more refined and slimmed down bracers. Clenching his fists tightly, the Undead didn't give him a chance to let Lance take the advantage as it let out a barrage of beams onto him, which Lance parried with his bracers. Once the smoke cleared out, Trial F was surprised to see Lance in his stance, ready to attack. "How did Kotomine Kirei do his Kempo punch on Kiritsugu again?" Lance tried to recall, but then remembered it. With one big push from his legs, he closed the gap in an instant, surprising the Undead for a moment. When Lance is within range, he immediately drove a strong punch on its chest, possibly targeting at its heart (if it has one…) before a strong shockwave forced it to crash onto a standalone cliff, crashing it rather hard. "Alrighty, this should be good enough… man, that buddy of mine sure picked some good anime for me to watch and copy…" he commented as the Trial Undead wasn't going to move anytime soon but still, no explosion occurred._

_"Now for the finishing touches!" Garren said as he slotted in his five cards._

**DIAMOND TEN**

**JACK**

**QUEEN**

**KING**

**ACE**

_The five holograms of Thief Chameleon, Fusion Peacock, Absorb Serpent, Evolution Giraffa, and Change Stag appeared in front of him leading to the Trial Undead. As soon as he pulled the trigger…_

**ROYAL STRAIGHT FLUSH**

…_a gigantic beam of light shot out from the King Rouzer, passing through each of them and the enlarged beam engulfed it before an explosion occurred, and the Trial Undead dropped dead to the ground."_You_ sure took your time…" Joshua smiled as Lance looked at the trio and noticed something._

_"Whoa! You guys beat that Trial Undead?!" Lance asked shock until the recoil happened as he placed his hand on his neck._

_"Hey, don't be so surprised about it! Besides, you're gonna get your neck hurt again…" Colm said concerned._

_"Yes, it was hard to believe, but we managed to defeat the enemy with our skills and weapons…" Seth said._

_"Well, at least we took them out." Garren said as he took two Common Blanks and threw them at the Trial Undead, sealing them up before the cards shot back to Garren and he caught them. "Now, let's regroup with the others."_

* * *

We heard some sort of gigantic explosion on the other side of the large cliff, which made me smile before undoing my transformation. "Looks like they've taken out the Undead and the last Gorgon Queen…" I said.

"Yeah, and after seeing these critters scurrying away from us, that makes the victory ours…" Gerik grinned.

"A figure…" Marisa as she spotted something from afar. She pointed out the direction of the figure she spoke of and boy, were we in for a surprise…

"Isn't that…" Ephraim said shocked, seeing the figure reappearing after the battle we had.

"Lyon!" Eirika cried out running over to him.

"Wait! Eirika!" I shouted going after her.

"Hold, Eirika! Don't go anywhere alone!" Ephraim shouted as he also made chase towards her while Eirika continued to chase after Lyon without looking back.

"Lyon's back there! I _won't_ abandon him!" Eirika said stubbornly as she continued to run. Just as we were about to reach her, all of the sudden, the ground opened wide, creating a gap as the only way to get to her from where we stand right now is this river of molten lava in between.

"Kurogasa! We better find an alternative route to get to her!" Ephraim told me. "Her life might be in danger if she were alone!"

"You find it! I can fly over!" I said as I slipped in my Change Ace card again. "Henshin!"

**TURN UP**

The hologram came out of the buckle and I soon was donned in my armor again. I then attached the Rouze Absorber on my arm and used the necessary cards.

**ABSORB QUEEN**

**FUSION JACK**

"Wait, Kurogasa!" Ephraim said trying to stop me, but when I reached my Jack Form, I immediately spread my wings and soared towards the sky, heading out to where Eirika might be… Eirika, please be safe…

* * *

_Eirika continued to wander alone within the path where Lyon might be as she called for her friend. "Lyon! Lyoooon!" she shouted as she ran along the path._

_"Ei… Eirika…" a voice said weakly, catching her attention as she stopped her pace and looked around._

_"Lyon? Where are you?" Eirika asked concerned and all of the sudden, he was teleported right in front of her, within a few meters away, while holding his head in pain, making her worried even more. "Lyon!" she cried out as she rushed towards his side. "Hold on. I'll save you!"_

_"Forgive me… Eirika… It's over… for me… The Demon King has devoured my soul… I'm mad… and I'm going… to die…" Lyon said weakly._

_"Lyon… What should I do? How can I _help_ you? Tell me! I'll do anything, but you have to tell me!" Eirika pleaded._

_"…The Sacred Stone… Give me… the stone…" Lyon said._

_"What?"_

_"My body… is being ravaged by the Demon King. If it continues unchecked, nothing can save me. But if I had the power of a Sacred Stone… I could save… my soul…"_

_"Lyon…" Eirika got out._

_"Please… Eirika… I don't want to die yet… I want to live… with you… If I had the Sacred Stone… I could… heal myself… Please…"_

_"Could the Sacred Stone really do that? Could it heal you?" Eirika asked._

_"Yes… Please… Eirika…"_

* * *

Oh man, where's Eirika?! Ever since Eirika and I accepted each other's feelings, I couldn't help but feel more worried for her because of her reckless actions and even _now_, it's getting _me _more worried since she's after what she _thought_ it was Lyon… man, her kindheartedness will bite back at her hard, and I don't want to see her sad again! I better hurry up and get to her before it's too late for me to undo the damage! Darn it, darn it, darn it! If something happens to her, I can't forgive myself for not being able to be her shield from incoming danger! Just when I thought I was about to lose hope, I finally saw her amongst the steam that covered my view and… is that Lyon? Wait, why is she handing him the Sacred Stone?! "Wait, Eirika!" I shouted, as her extension of the stone suddenly stopped and Lyon looked at me with a displeased look. Just when he was about to take the stone from her hands, I immediately roused a card.

**MACH**

The Mach Jaguar entered my armor, and the whole world was in slow motion. Lyon was inches away from taking the stone from her hands. With my speed, not only that I quickly swiped the Stone, but also gained Eirika distance between us and him before the whole world resumed back to normal. "K–Kurogasa? What's wrong? Why did you tell me to stop? Don't you see that Lyon needed our help?!" So many questions were running through her mind as I held the Sacred Stone of Renais in my hand.

"Why were about to give the Sacred Stone to Lyon?" I asked incredulously.

"He… He told me it would heal him…" Eirika got out.

"Eirika, didn't you hear what L'Arachel said? Not even a Sacred Stone could save him." I told her.

"B–But…" Eirika stuttered while she looked at the 'weak' Lyon in front of me. "H–He said that the Sacred Stone would be able to save his soul…"

"And I ain't buying his story one bit…" I muttered as eventually, the 'weak' Lyon suddenly, slowly stood high.

_**"****So, the princess of Light has told you as well, Rider?"**_ Evil Lyon spoke in his dark sinister voice..

"Lyon?" Eirika said confused. "W–What's going on?!"

"Eirika… that's not Lyon anymore. He tried to trick you in giving him the Sacred Stone so he could crush it. It's a good thing I got here fast… literally." I said.

"What?!" Eirika said shocked as the Demon King laughed.

_**"****So, my little plan has been foiled…"**_ Evil Lyon said as if it was nothing before he chuckled. _**"How disappointing for you. This body is mine now. Nothing remains of your dear boy's soul."**_

"You only _pretended_ to be Lyon… You deceived me." Eirika realized as she curled her fist and got angry. "Return him! Return Lyon _now_!" she demanded as Evil Lyon wagged his finger at her.

_**"****I'm afraid there's no hope of that."**_ Evil Lyon said sinisterly. _**"You see, I've devoured him. Bite by bite, slowly. How I savored it. Nothing remains but this suit of flesh I wear. There is nothing to heal. Not even the power of a Sacred Stone can craft something from nothing. He **_**cannot**_** be saved!"**_

After hearing what that thing said, Eirika was in deep shock as she got on all fours, looking at the ground in disbelief. "That… can't…"

"Eirika! Get a hold of yourself!" I said trying to calm her down as the Demon King was enjoying her suffering.

_**"****I love how humans look when they're drowning in despair!"**_ Evil Lyon said with glee. _**"I believe… you have something I want, Rider… it is either **_**that**_** or I'll vanquish the princess with my magic!"**_

"I won't let you!" I shouted.

"Eirika!" I heard Ephraim's voice shout.

_**"****Oh… caught up, have you?"**_ Evil Lyon said as he noticed the whole group followed suit.

"Buddy!" Storm cried out.

"Is Eirika alright?!" Amber shouted as Ephraim approached her.

"Eirika! Wake up! Do you know who I am?" Ephraim asked trying to snap her out from it, but she was still in shock.

"Ephraim, get Eirika to safety… lead everyone out of this place and–" I couldn't finish my words when I noticed a dark fireball aiming at him. I immediately stepped forward and averted it with a swing of my Rouzer.

_**"****Oh? You managed to stop it? That's just nice…"**_ the Demon King scoffed as Ephraim escorted her back before all of the sudden, a black firewall appeared right between us, causing them to take a few steps back from the flames.

"Whoa! Where did _that_ came from?!" Amber exclaimed.

"It must have been from that guy…" Tana said pointing at the Demon King.

_**"****As much as I want to fight with you all, I don't like to be interrupted to get what I want… and Ephraim, I was hoping that you and I would clash with each other, but I think I've found myself better prey…"**_ Evil Lyon said before he looked at me. _**"So, 'legendary' Rider, should you either hand me the Stone… or should I burn your friends and comrades to mere ashes?"**_ He taunted me, making me boil mad at this point. _**"Wouldn't it be nice to see her sad expression, seeing you being burned to death by me, her own 'friend'?"**_ He said again and my rage was at its max…

"I won't lose!" I shouted as I took out a card roused it on the Rouze Absorber.

**EVOLUTION KING**

The Fusion Eagle plaque was replaced with the Evolution Caucasus Plaque. The spade cards came out and circled around me before going into their places, donning me in King Form. _**"Ah, the majestic King of the Legendary Rider… how it's been so long to see you… so that I can crush you once again!"**_ Evil Lyon declared as his whole body emitted a dark aura, his cloak floating from it as he held his tome in his hand and aiming at me. _**"Come on… I'm waiting~…"**_ He taunted with a smirk.

"You're going down Fomortiis!" I shouted as I charged towards him. Evil Lyon stood there, waiting for me to slash him and as I swung my King Rouzer on him, the only thing I've slashed was his mirage as I felt a blast on my back, causing smoke to appear on my cape as I skid to the side and looked at him. _**"Come now… is that the best you can do?"**_

"You haven't seen _anything_ yet!" I shouted before I rushed forward as rage has totally taken control over me.

"Oi! Calm down! That's what he wants your state of mind to be in right now!" I heard Kurai shout, but it didn't reach my ears as I continued to slash him with my Rouzer in hand. During the whole course of battle, he was just toying with me as he let out a few minor blasts on me, which I swung it away before continuing to pursue it.

_**"****Ha ha ha! This is **_**truly**_** fun indeed!"**_ Evil Lyon mocked until I stopped my pace and took a breather. "_**All of those attacks make me yawn, Rider… let me show you what a **_**real**_** attack looks like!"**_ Evil Lyon said before he gathered immense darkness from deep within him and created a dark orb in his hand.

"My word… I can feel the malicious darkness from that orb alone…" Knoll said surprised.

_**"****Last chance, 'King'. The Stone… or your life?"**_ Evil Lyon offered.

"I won't let you take the Stone…" I muttered. "And I won't let you hurt my friends! I will protect them with my life!" I shouted as I had ten cards come out of the armor and I caught them, sliding half of them into the Rouzer.

**SPADE TWO**

**SPADE THREE**

**SPADE FOUR**

**SPADE FIVE**

**SPADE SIX**

**STRAIGHT FLUSH**

I threw the other five cards up in the air as I Blay Rouzer appeared in my hand and now letting me dual wield. The other five cards then fell straight into the King Rouzer.

**SPADE TEN**

**JACK**

**QUEEN**

**KING**

**ACE**

The holograms of Time Scarab, Fusion Eagle, Absorb Capricorn, Evolution Caucasus, and Change Beetle were in front of me leading to Evil Lyon.

**ROYAL STRAIGHT FLUSH**

I felt the shocks on me as I was somehow overcharged myself, but I paid no mind to it as the five holograms were right in front of me as I wield both King Rouzer and Blay Rouzer in my hand. With a quick dash through it, both of my Rouzers reached its maximum and I've unleashed a double blow on it but both of them were only hitting another mirage of himself and before I knew it, he already placed his attack on my chest as I felt the pressure coming out from the dark orb. _**"I had fun… now, begone!"**_ Evil Lyon shouted before a large explosion occurred to me, causing me to fly towards the dark firewall and crash on it before I landed on the ground face first and both of my King and Blay Rouzers were far apart. The Sacred Stone of Renais that I've kept under my armor got out from it and it dropped right in front of him. Evil Lyon bent down and picked it up while looking at it with glee. _**"…Ah… It's true… A Sacred Stone… Ha ha… Heh heh heh… An abominable Sacred Stone… Here in my grasp."**_ Evil Lyon got out before he held it tightly, crushing it into dust and then opens up his hand, letting the remains of the stone blow out to the sky. _**"And now, it's nothing more than a piece of worthless stone…"**_

"Buddy!/Kurogasa!/Big bro!" Storm, Ephraim and Akira cried out rushing to my side after the firewall has diminished and transformation canceled out. Eirika was in the care of Melissa–sempai, Mikoto, Tana, and Amber.

Evil Lyon turned around and spoke to us. _**"Hmm, I've changed my mind. I'll leave the girl alive as well as the Rider. Take her. There are memories of you in this flesh I wear. And I hunger to see your face bear more suffering and pain."**_ Evil Lyon said before he let out another dark laugh and warped himself away. After that, I blacked out.

* * *

"Kurogasa! Kurogasa! Wake up!"

Huh? Who's calling me?

"Wake up! Please, Kurogasa!" the calling was getting louder and louder and slowly, I was coming to. When my vision cleared, I saw that the one that woke me up was… Tana?

"Looks like the sleeping prince has awakened…" I heard another voice. This one was L'Arachel. I sat up and noticed I was inside the camp and all of a sudden, Tana does her usual tackle on me.

"Ooh~~! I'm so glad you're up! If not, I would've given you a wake up kiss…" Tana said slightly cheeky.

"But, you won't. You already have someone in mind, Tana…" L'Arachel pointed out. Tana stuck her tongue out at her with L'Arachel doing the same.

"Sorry I worried you all." I smiled sadly, but then I remembered something and suddenly sat up. "Where's Eirik– ite, te, te, te, te, te!" I cringed in pain holding my chest and stomach.

*WHACK!*

"OW!" I cringed in pain, courtesy of L'Arachel's staff.

"Calm down, Kurogasa! You were just finished being healed, y'know?" L'Arachel said.

"After that guy vanished elsewhere, you were unconscious and your chest and stomach were totally bleeding!" Tana told me as I took a peek inside my shirt and noticed there were some bandages wrapped around it.

"Since looking at bare men is a sin, I told the others to do the healing while your armor is taken off and when that's done, I'd do the rest of it… with your clothes on, of course…" L'Arachel added.

"Oh…" I got out. "Thanks. But seriously, where's Eirika?" I asked. The two of them were silent. "Girls?"

"Well…" L'Arachel got out.

"She… asked for some time alone…" Tana said while looking down, which I can understand what they're trying to tell me.

"I see…" I said sadly, looking down. "This wasn't supposed to happen… I feel like I failed Eirika…"

*WHACK!*

"OW!" I cried out again from the whack of L'Arachel.

"Don't say something like that! You weren't expecting it, that's all!" L'Arachel corrected me.

"Besides, not everything went according to the plan, Kurogasa…" Tana comforted me.

"Still…" I got out.

"Alright, that's enough complaining for today, Mr. Rider! Right now, you _really_ need some rest!" L'Arachel told me as she was walking out of the camp.

"Where are you going?" I asked her.

"I'm gonna have a bit of a discussion with Ephraim and the rest of the group…" she informed me before leaving both Tana and I for a moment.

"I really wish I didn't see my best friend sad… and yet, it happened…" Tana spoke lowly.

"I know; I failed to protect her smile…"

"If she feels sad, then I'm _also_ sad… I mean, if _I_ were in her boots, I might also feel the same thing; knowing my best friend has turned evil and crushing all hopes that I tried to protect…"

"Tana, I–"

"Enough, Kurogasa…" Tana told me before she also started moving out from the camp. "I don't want to talk about this anymore… I already told you that if you break her heart or can't protect her smile, you would've been dead by my lance right about now, but I can't… I don't have the courage to kill someone she loves…" She added, her voice somehow sounding like she was stuttering before her hand reached her face and wiped something off her eyes. I can tell she was actually holding back her tears. "So, you better do this right and fix it…" And with that, she left the tent, leaving me all alone.

"Tana…"

* * *

_Meanwhile, as Amber and Mikoto were cooking dinner, Rennac was looking at the sky while Dolza was sharpening his axe. "Life is… a fickle beast, is it not, old man?" Rennac said solemnly, making Dolza stop his sharpening and look at him._

_"Why are you so solemn, Rennac?" Dolza asked. "You can't win battles if you've no hope!"_

_"This journey has taught me the hollowness and the transience of life's pleasures. Ah, to what end do we toil on this unforgiving earth? Why do we live?" Rennac sighed loud as he looked down._

_As always, Dolza thought of this seriously… in his own way. "Why do we _live_? Well, if you're not _alive_, then you're _dead_, and… Er… if you're _dead_, then you can't _eat_, and… _What_ was I saying?" Dolza said scratching his head in confusion. "I think I must be getting hungry. I wonder what's for dinner on what those three girls are cookin'? My belly's a–rumbling!" Dolza said with a big laugh after taking a sniff from afar as he saw Mikoto, Amber, and newly arrived Tana putting some more ingredients into a rather large pot._

_"It must be nice to have no worries other than what to eat, old man." Rennac deadpanned before looking at a corner. "And not just you, either. I'm sure that a _certain_ young lady has nothing to worry about, _either_."_

_"What's that? Do you mean Princess L'Arachel?" Dolza blinked. "That girl believes the world will turn out just as she envisions it. I doubt if the word "worry" even has any _meaning_ to her in the first place." Dolza assured him._

_"What a completely envious position to be in. I may not look it now, but I'm the son of a wealthy Carcino merchant!" Rennac proclaimed as he stood up from where he sat and looked at Dolza. "I believed that you could move the world if you but had the gold. Money was everything, and with money, nothing was beyond my reach! I _adored_ money! I _loved_ money! You see?!" he exclaimed._

_"What good fortune for you that your father was a thriving merchant." Dolza pointed out._

_"That's just _it_…" Rennac highlighted. "There are people who can do anything without any money at all… She's overbearing and egotistical, yet she has us all jumping through hoops. That's a skill _normal_ people don't possess." he commented and for some reason, L'Arachel lightly sneezed just now._

_"That's Princess L'Arachel! She makes the impossible possible!" Dolza exclaimed before he laughed heartily and looked at the rogue. "You're with her because she made a deep impression on you, too, right?"_

_"A deep _impression_?! More like I'm in shock and my _brain's_ been frozen!" Rennac shouted, making Dolza blinked._

_"What? Your brain's frozen?! That'll _never_ do!" Dolza said as he stood up. "Did you forget to wear a hat? Let me at it. I'll thaw it out!" Dolza offered as he stretched his hand to Rennac's bandanna, causing him to take a few steps back with an annoyed look._

_"Knock it off!" Rennac shouted. "I was speaking figuratively! You know? As in "not literally"? You're too strong to joke around like that! Stop it!" he exclaimed, making Dolza laugh again._

_"Just teasing you!" Dolza said before he sat down as Rennac face palmed._

_"What a pair the two of you make… You know, you're the only one who can keep up with Princess L'Arachel, old man." Rennac commented before he left and Dolza continued to sharpen his axe._

_"I wonder what are those two were arguing about?" Tana asked both of them._

_"We have no~ idea…" Amber and Mikoto said in unison._

* * *

_At the same time, while Forde was taking another nap from the last battle, he heard some footsteps heading towards him and when he opened his eyes, Vanessa was the one that approached him. "I think I misunderstood you." Vanessa said as he sat up and looked at her in confusion._

_"Yeah? So you understand me now?" Forde asked her, which she nodded._

_"I guess so. You've been working for me from behind–the–scenes, haven't you?" Vanessa asked him as he stood up in front of her._

_"Yes." Forde confirmed. "But don't worry. I'm used to that sort of misunderstanding." Forde waved it off._

_"Well… thank you." Vanessa replied while looking down. _

_Forde slightly chuckled and rubbed the back of his head. "You're welcome, of course. So, how about all that other stuff?"_

_"What do you mean?" Vanessa asked as Forde casually smiled._

_"Am I too far a cry from a prince?" he asked her, making Vanessa avert her gaze from him as she slightly blush._

_"Um…"_

_"I felt an energy…" Forde spoke, getting her attention back._

_"Energy?" Vanessa asked as she looked at him after recovering her blush. "What are you talking about?"_

_"Everyone has a different type of energy. Some energies can heal hearts, others spread courage." Forde told her. "When you first saw me sleeping, I was dreaming of running across a field. I felt this warm energy engulfing me, blowing across my face like a summer wind. It must have been your energy that made me feel that way." Vanessa blushed again._

_"My… energy?" Vanessa asked, and without hesitation, Forde held onto Vanessa's hand with both of his gently._

_"Would you like to feel my energy, too?" Forde offered her, causing Vanessa to pull her hand immediately while looking away as she still blushed._

_"Um… I'll certainly think about it…" Vanessa said before she walked away._

_"Wonderful! I'll be waiting for your answer, Vanessa!" Forde exclaimed._

_"Why is he always like that? And… why am I feeling like this…? Am I… falling for him?" Vanessa questioned herself as she headed towards her tent to get some rest while waiting for dinner to be finished._

* * *

_"Great… after he beat the heck out of Kurogasa without much trouble, he just waltzed on out of there…" Kurai complained._

_"Agreed… and due to certain circumstances, we have no other choice but to make a move before the crater gets bigger and there's no way we can pursue him now…" Seth informed._

_"That; and the Sacred Stone of Renais is destroyed." Ephraim said._

_"Talk about bad luck…" Kurai muttered._

_"I guess there's no way to chase him after all of that, huh?" Akira added as he looked down._

_"There's no cause to be discouraged." L'Arachel perked. "Beyond these mountains lies the heart of Darkling Woods. Before we enter, we must head north to Rausten. After all, we still need the Sacred Stone of Rausten. As long as even one stone remains, all hope is not lost. We cannot give in to despair when victory draws so near!" L'Arachel said trying to lighten up the mood._

_"Oh great… and I just hope it doesn't fall in the wrong hands or break into pieces when the stone is in _your_ hand, L'Arachel…" Kurai scoffed._

_*STOMP!*_

_"Iteeeeeeeeeeeeeee!"_

_"My, my… you sure love to tease her. You haven't learned your lesson yet, ne?" Melissa said as she had that smile on her face while her dark aura emitted. And for the first–timers, they took a few back steps from her as Kurai shuddered._

_"Now I know why sometimes they're scared of this gentle Sister…" L'Arachel commented as the ones that just witnessed it just nodded in agreement lightly, making Melissa tilt her head to the right in confusion._

* * *

Even with the pain I had on my body, I still forced myself to look for Eirika and eventually found her. She was leaning against a tree while she hugged her knees close to her and hid her face. When I tried to approach her, for some reason I don't know, I shuddered… wow, I think Melissa–sempai is angry on something again… how did I know? Experience tells the whole thing… But nonetheless, I went over to her. "Eirika…?"

"Please leave me be…" Eirika said lowly while she still hid her face.

"Eirika…" I got out kneeling in front of her.

"I said please leave me be!" Eirika shouted while I saw her eyes still filled with sadness before she hid her face again. "It's my fault… to be deceived by the Demon King…" she blamed herself.

"No… it wasn't your fault." I protested. "It's not your fault that you're a kindhearted person. That you wanted to help someone. If anyone's to blame, it should be _me_."

After I told her, she slowly lifted her head and looked at me concerned. "You? …why?"

"Because at first, I was confident enough to defeat him and probably saving Lyon at the same time… but then, he started to play mind games with me and my emotions got the best of me, which is why I ended up losing the Sacred Stone we tried to protect. Even if I didn't have to fight him, I _knew_ I should've flown away with you when we got the chance, even if you rebelled on me for wanting to help him out…"

"Kurogasa…" Eirika said as tears ran down her eyes and she slowly approached and embraced me gently with my head on her chest. "No, it isn't your fault at all… both of us made a mistake and in the end, we lost the Sacred Stone and you have gotten yourself injured from the aftermath…"

"But still…" I sobbed. "I failed you Eirika… I couldn't protect your smile!" At that point, I just broke down crying.

"Kurogasa…" Eirika breathed as her hug around me got tighter, as I continued to cry while ignoring the pain around my body.

"Kurogasa, dear… this isn't the time for you to cry…" A voice said as Eirika turned to her right and noticed someone watching the whole scene.

"Melissa…" Eirika said.

"S–Sempai…" I got out as Melissa–sempai approached both of us, knelt down and gently patted my back.

"Yes, we might have lost the Sacred Stone but do not blame yourself for something that you weren't able to do…" She added as I slowly stopped sobbing. "It doesn't matter if the damage has already been done, as there's nothing we can do about it. But we still have to press on to achieve our goal as long as hope still lives inside of us. And this time, we'll do it together as one, dear… getting the last Stone and seal it for good…" she added with a kind smile.

"Sempai…" I got out.

Melissa–sempai took out a napkin and gently wiped the tears on my face. "The Kurogasa I know from school is always a happy person, always determined to accomplish something to the end, and always helping out the people in need. Once you have achieved your goals, only _then_ will you let out a cry, but not a _normal_ cry… a different one." she added after wiping off my tears and then onto Eirika. "Your kindheartedness is something that the Demon King lacks. It may think it was nothing more than just a mere expression, but it didn't know your kindness to help others, is the reason why you've _reached_ this far… so please, Eirika, dear… always keep helping out those who are in need…"

"Melissa…" Eirika got out.

""Forget about what happened in the past…" Melissa–sempai began.

"…and continue on with the present…" Eirika continued.

"…and build for a better future…" I finished. Melissa–sempai nodded and hugged both of us with her warm hug.

"I'm sure of it… all of us will prevail in the end…" she consoled both of us.

"Sempai…" I got out then started sobbing again.

"Sister Melissa…" Eirika added as her tears also flowed out from her eyes and she buried her face on Melissa–sempai's chest.

"My, my… are you two crying again?" Melissa–sempai asked both of us.

"Y–Yeah… but for a different reason…" I got out.

"Please… just a little bit longer?" Eirika got out.

"Don't worry… I'll always be here…" Melissa–sempai added as she continued to be there for us…

* * *

Okay, okay, I know it's all sappy at the end and all, but hey, it works with me, plus, two more Undead have been sealed. So you know what to do people! Review!

**Spade: **A, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, J, Q, K**  
Diamond: **A, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, J, Q, K  
**Heart: **A, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, J, Q, K  
**Club: **A, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, J, Q, K**  
Trial: **A, B, C, D, E, **F**, **G  
Joker: **Albino


	22. Chapter 19: Last Hope

Hey there everybody, it's time for another chapter of Kamen Rider Blade: The Sacred Stones! As Momotaros would say it, "Ikuze, ikuze, ikuze!"

Disclaimer: Same thing.

* * *

Chapter 19: Last Hope

The next day had come by and both Eirika and I are in our tent sleeping together. And no, we didn't do it. After last time, Eirika and I aren't gonna push our luck. But still we were sleeping together. After making–up with each other and the both of us being happy again… well, words just couldn't describe it enough. We're happy, that's all that matters. "If it wasn't for Melissa–sempai to help us out, we might still be grieving about it…" I told her.

"Yes… and she had that motherly feeling in her, as if… _my_ mother was there to comfort me…" Eirika added.

"Yeah… I may not know what it's like to feel a mother's love, but… I can make an exception when it comes to sempai."

"When she held me close to her chest, the sound of her calm heartbeat really calmed me down… as if it washed away all of my doubts…" Eirika explained.

"That's true." I agreed. And one other thing, I know, without a doubt–

"Goo~~d morning, you tw–" Amber was there but this time, it was different.

"Oh, good morning, Amber." Eirika said to her.

"Eh? You two look happy…" Amber said confused. "Didn't you two doing anything last night?"

"Sorry to disappoint, but you ain't teasing us today." I grinned cheekily.

Amber pouted before she walked away from our tent as Eirika let out a fit of giggles. "Looks like Amber's plan to tease us stopped…"

"Yeah, I guess so…" I said before both of us sat up and I stretched myself upwards to loosen up my muscles.

"Should we go and thank Melissa for her company last night, Kurogasa?" Eirika asked.

"Yeah, let's." I smiled then kissed Eirika, which she returned.

* * *

_In the morning, Syrene combed her Pegasus gently as her Pegasus liked it, letting out a neigh before eating an apple that was offered by its master. Vanessa walked out from her tent and noticed her sister. "Captain… I mean, Sis!" she called out, as Syrene turned around and looked at her._

_"Oh… good morning._ You_ look better, Vanessa. Did you sleep well?" Syrene asked her._

_"Yes. First time in a _long_ time. Thank you, Sis." Vanessa replied back with a smile, but then Syrene noticed something about her little sister._

_"Vanessa, I've been meaning to ask you…" Syrene began._

_"Yes?"_

_"You don't seem to have much appetite lately…" she said concerned._

_"Well, I've just been–" Vanessa said trying to find an excuse as Syrene lightly shook her head in denial._

_"I told you, Vanessa, I know you too well." Syrene spoke and approached her with a smile. "So, who's the lucky guy?"_

_"What?!" Vanessa exclaimed and took a step back. "That's just _crazy_! I don't know what you're talking about!" Vanessa panicked as a blush appeared on her face._

_"You know I can tell when you're lying. Plus, you not eating is a dead giveaway. I mean, when's the last time you said no to a cookie?" Syrene pointed out, as Vanessa couldn't help but look down with a slight blush. "It's not a criticism. One of your most charming qualities is how you can out–eat anyone. It's because of someone special, isn't it?"_

_At this point, Vanessa began to have flashbacks regarding a certain knight that asked her last night as she placed her hand onto her chest, trying to calm herself down. "Well, um…"_

_Syrene let out a gentle sigh as she placed both of her hands onto her little sister's shoulders, snapping her back into reality. "But, Vanessa, first and foremost, you have to take care of yourself. I'll support you no matter what, but no one is worth losing your health over." Syrene assured her._

_"Thank you, I guess. I'll do my best…" Vanessa said before she calmed down and looked at her sister. "Sometimes I think that if I were more like you– you know, a great knight, an attractive woman, and just all–around perfect– I'd have a better chance with him." There was total silence as she pondered out what she said earlier. "That didn't sound as pathetic in my head as it did out loud."_

_"Don't be silly, Vanessa. You may not know it, but I'm sure that person likes you for who you are." Syrene assured her with a smile._

_"Do you really think so?" Vanessa asked which Syrene nodded in agreement. She looked down with a smile. "I've _always_ wanted to be like you. You've always been my role model. But, I feel like whenever I finally catch up to you, you're already gone. You've already moved on. I'll never catch up with you, no matter _how_ hard I try."_

_Vanessa was then suddenly embraced by her sister, much to her surprise. "I'm very proud of you, Vanessa." Syrene said. "And as your older sister, I recognize your talent more than anyone else. You should be more confident."_

_"Sis…" Vanessa muttered before both of them broke their hug and looked at each other. "I feel better after opening up to you. It's hard not to compare myself with you, but I have to get past that."_

_"That's the spirit." Syrene smiled. "And remember, you have to take care of yourself."_

_"Yes, I know." Vanessa replied. "As always, thanks, Syrene." she thanked her before both of them parted ways._

_"She has grown to be a good woman…" Syrene said._

_"Yes, indeed." A voice said as Syrene calmly looked back and noticed Melissa that replied to her. "Pardon me for overhearing the conversation. I was just passing through…"_

_"It's alright…" Syrene waved off. "I believe this is the first time we've spoke personally, yes?"_

_"Yes, it is…" Melissa replied as Syrene offered her hand to her._

_"I am Syrene, Captain of the Frelia's Pegasus Knight and Vanessa's older sister." she introduced herself before Melissa took her hand and shook it._

_"I am Melissa, Kamen Rider Leangle of the Rider group and a battle Sister…" she introduced to her as well, which left Syrene confused._

_"A battle Sister? This is the first time I've heard such a thing…" Syrene pointed out._

_"It's a long story…" Melissa said with a sweat drop._

_"And we have all day to talk about…"_

* * *

_As Lute read her book after grooming her horse, Artur approached her with his usual smile. "Hello, Lute." he said to her, as she was quite indulged with the book that she was reading. "What_ is_ it? You look like you have something on your mind."_

_Lute then closed her book and said to him, "Oh. No. I was just thinking about monsters."_

_"Monsters?"_

_"Yes." Lute confirmed. "All these monsters are our enemies, I know, but… they're not _all_ bad, are they?" she asked._

_"What are you talking about?" Artur blinked in confusion._

_"They're _kind_ of cute, don't you think? I mean, like those Undead and Trials, for example."_

_"It's fair to say I will _never_ understand your tastes." Artur commented with a sweat drop as she looked at him with her usual curious eyes. "Besides, I thought you _enjoyed_ using them as, well, magic practice."_

_"Oh, I do! I do _indeed_!" Lute told him. "I use my magic to rip them to shreds… with love, of course." that comment made from her had Artur have a _bigger_ sweat drop than normal._

_"Your way of expressing love is somewhat frightening…" Artur told her._

_"Do you think so? Thank you." Lute thanked, which he just shook his head in denial._

_"No… That wasn't a compliment… Should I, ah, expect you to attack me with magic, too?" Artur asked._

_"Why would I attack you with my magic?" Lute asked confused._

_"You don't get it?" Artur asked. Lute shook her head in disagreement._

_"Your strange logic baffles even my brilliant, brilliant mind. That's why I'm curious." Lute stated._

_"Really? You don't get it?"_

_"No, I don't!" Lute said angrily._

_"You really don't?" Artur asked her again, this time, in a sad tone._

_"Stop that!" Lute scolded._

_"I'm just giving you a hard time, Lute. All right, I'll just come straight out and say it."_

_"Finally!" Lute said sarcastically._

_Artur took a deep breath and looked at her in the eyes. "It's because I like you."_

_"What?!" Lute said surprised as the confession caught her off–guard as Artur shook his head._

_"In fact, I _love_ you, and I'm hoping perhaps that you _love_ me." Artur hoped. That statement alone made Lute drop her book to the ground and her face was getting red up to the point of her getting all panicked. "_Now_, do you understand?"_

_And _now _she panicked. "Er… Um… A–According to "A Young Girl's Primer to Nazonian Magic," that most ancient tome long sought by, er, the terrible Demon King himself… it's not uncommon for a party to assign feelings of… er, love to the reanimated hordes they confront on the battlefield, and considering my incredible brain and the remarkable skills I–"_

_"Lute?"_

_"Well, that is… What I mean is…" Lute said continuing to talk gibberish until Artur held her shoulders as he was getting worried._

_"What's _wrong_ with you? I don't often see you lose your cool." Artur said, while Lute looked away from him while her face is still red._

_"Th–That's because…" Lute stutters for a bit, as Artur continued to look at her. "My books don't tell me _anything_ about how to _deal_ with love! So…" At this point, Artur couldn't help it laugh lightly as Lute still looked down while her face is still red. "I'm sorry. I'm a little out of my depth when it comes to love." she confessed._

_"No, you're not. Love needs no textbooks." Artur corrected her. "Just be yourself, and listen to your feelings."_

_"Is… that_ all_ I need to do?" Lute questioned._

_"I promise…" Artur replied with a kind smile on his face as Lute's face was still red as she looked down._

_"Um…"_

_"Yes?" And without hesitation, Lute suddenly hugged Artur while burying her blushing face on his chest and held her hug tightly around him._

_"I'm glad… you're here." Lute confessed as Artur hugged her back while resting his chin on the top of her head._

_"I am, too, Lute." he told her._

* * *

Eirika and I were walking around the camp hand–in–hand and the atmosphere was… well, cheerful. "Hey~~!" I heard a voice calling for me and without a doubt…

"OOFT!" Tana is tackling and hugging… Eirika? Wait, what just happened?! Is she changing her target to her friend?

"T–Tana!" Eirika said surprised as Tana continued to hug her, fortunately, Eirika didn't feel down like how Tana used to do on me… seriously though, the tackle she made on me is somehow… well, painful.

"I was SOO~ worried last night after seeing you crying! But after seeing you and Kurogasa happy, I couldn't help but be happy too!" Tana expressed herself. Well… _that's_ a first… normally she'd tackled me, but this time it's Eirika.

"Tana, I'm alright, so don't worry about me." Eirika consoled her friend.

"Yeah, if it wasn't for Melissa–sempai accompanying us and cooling us down, both of us would've been still grieving…" I told her.

"Really?" Tana blinked.

"Yes, really…" I smiled sadly.

"That's great! Maybe I should follow you guys as well since you two are heading towards her direction, right? I wanna thank her for making my friend happy again!" Tana chirped before she grabbed both of our hands. "C'mon! I know where they are right now!"

"O–Oi, chotto matte o!" I cried out as Tana immediately ran, dragging us along.

"Not so fast!" Eirika cried out.

* * *

She continued to drag us along with her and she still had some spare energy left in her. Before we knew it, we spotted Melissa–sempai chatting happily with Natasha, Syrene and Amelia as they had a little giggle of their own. "Uh… Tana, I think it would be rude to disturb their girl talk right now…" I told her.

"Don't be silly! All we need to do is just barge in!" Tana chirped.

"That's still being rude…" I sweat dropped.

"I'm still going anyways!" Tana said and before either, Eirika and I could even _stop_ her, she sprinted towards Melissa–sempai and hugged her tightly, much to the other girl's surprise.

"Oh my… what's the matter, Tana?" Melissa–sempai blinked.

"Good morning, Princess Tana." Syrene said to her.

"Morning~!" Tana chirped as she wasn't letting go of Sempai anytime soon.

"U–Um…" Amelia got out, but Natasha gently shook her head, telling her to not interrupt this kind of moment.

"I just wanna thank you for making Eirika and Kurogasa so happy again! It makes me feel happy too!" Tana thanked.

"Oh, think nothing of it, dear… I'm just doing what I can do best…" Melissa–sempai added as she patted her head gently before Tana broke the hug and looked at her with her happy face. She then turned her attention to us.

"Hey~! Don't just stand there! C'mon over!" Tana offered to us as she waved happily to our direction.

"I guess she's calling for us, Kurogasa…" Eirika said to me.

"I guess so…" I smiled as Eirika and I walked over to Sempai hand–in–hand. "Um, morning Sempai." I greeted.

"Good morning, dear…" she greeted us with her kind smile that she always had since the day I knew her.

"You two look happy today…" Natasha smiled too.

"Yeah, because yesterday, both of you looked really down…" Amelia added.

"And I've heard everything from Sister Melissa… it's good to see you two happy once again." Syrene noted.

"Well, we owe it all to Sempai." I said.

"We _all_ do…" Natasha said as Melissa–sempai slightly blushed.

"Please, dear… I'm just glad everything went well, that's all." Melissa–sempai waved it off. "Like Natasha's job, I am here to be a service to help those who are in need."

* * *

And so after having breakfast with the troops, we went on our way towards Rausten. It was a week long journey to get there, but at least L'Arachel didn't get us lost. Maybe what she said about not being lost in Rausten is true. Of course, Kurai had his doubts, but that's taken care of when Melissa–sempai would stomp his toe with the Leangle Rouzer and then have that dark aura around while smiling making the others who experienced it including myself shudder.

After quite a trip, the whole group decided to take a short break before we can continue on. It was lunchtime and Tana looked happy for some reason. I noticed that she held a bento in her hands and went happily towards Ephraim, who was sharpening his lance. "Kurogasa, what's wrong?" Eirika asked.

"I think we're about to find out…" I told her, which made Eirika confused before the both of us witnessed the two as Tana sat next to him without him even noticing her presence.

"Say, Ephraim! Wanna take a break together?" Tana greeted, surprising Ephraim.

"Well, _you're_ in a better mood today!" Ephraim pointed out.

"Huh? What do you mean?" Tana blinked in confusion.

"Oh, nothing. Never mind!" Ephraim quickly waved off before continuing on. "So, uh, what can I do for you?"

"Oh! Eirika and Amber helped me prepared lunch today! I haven't tried it yet, but I'm sure it's delicious." Tana chirped before offering him the bento shyly. "Would you like to eat with me?"

All he has to do now is accept it and things would be okay… well, usually that works _most_ of the time, but it didn't as Ephraim sighed. "…Tana. This is a battlefield. It's all right to take a break, but let's not let our guards down."

The comment made Tana feel sad as she looked away from him. "…You're _always_ like that. You're so stiff and formal and detached all the time."

"How come your brother is so dense, Eirika?" I asked her.

"It's not that he's dense… it's just that the war comes first to him before others…" Eirika explained as both of us continue to overhear the whole thing.

"Tana… What's the _matter_ with you? You've been acting so odd lately…" Ephraim asked her, which she stood up and it looked like she was gonna give him a good scolding.

"Yes, I _am_ acting funny. And it's all your fault, Ephraim!" she pointed out, leaving him with a surprise look on his face… _and_ ours. "Whenever I try to talk to you, you always keep your distance! No matter _how_ hard I try, you never open _up_ to me."

"That's not true…" Ephraim muttered to himself as Tana looked at him sadly.

"Is there… someone else in your mind?" Tana asked, catching Ephraim off guard.

"What…?"

"It's just… You never pay any attention to me. You _never_ have…" Tana confessed as she looked down sadly. "It makes me so sad. All I want to do is be near you more and more."

Ephraim looked at her a while until he stood up and held her shoulders. "…Tana, you're still just a child at heart, aren't you?"

"Ephraim!" Tana scolded looking at him with a slight blush before she looked down again. "Don't talk about me like that…"

"No, I meant it as a compliment." Ephraim corrected her, as Tana slowly looked at him as he had a smile on his face. "Because you're so young, your words have such a simple, honest purity… I _do_ appreciate your affection."

"Ephraim…" Tana got out as her blush got more obvious as she shyly looked away from him. "Do you think… you could make more time for me, so we can chat?" Tana hoped.

"Yes… of course." Ephraim replied back with a smile, as Tana looked at him happily. "But we don't have the luxury to stop and chat on the battlefield. We have an obligation to end this war first. Until then… let us focus on the battle…" he told her as Tana smiled and she nodded to his suggestion.

"Yes, all right. I'm looking forward to it." Tana replied before both of them sat together, Tana unwrapping her bento and feed Ephraim with care.

"Oh my… I thought that it might work perfectly… but I guess it didn't, but the result is all that matters…" Melissa–sempai said as she was eating with us.

"Yeah, but still if only Ephraim wasn't that dense." I said. I shouldn't have said that when Eirika pinched my cheek rather hard. "Ite, te, te, te, te, te…"

"My brother isn't dense." Eirika chided gently.

"Alright, alright, I'm sorry, please let go my cheek. It hurts." I said, then she let go. I think I just found _my_ Melissa–sempai.

Melissa–sempai giggled at seeing our antics as she took another bite of her bento. "At least the two of you are getting along very well…" she commented.

"Yes we are, and again we have you to thank for that after last night, Melissa." Eirika smiled.

"You're welcome, dear…" Melissa–sempai replied back to her.

Eirika noticed something on my face. "What is it?" I asked her before she extended her hand towards my face; near my lips to be exact as she picked something. When she pulled back, I noticed a grain of rice was on her hand and she… ate it?!

"Oh my…" Melissa–sempai said surprised by it, leaving Eirika confused.

"What's wrong, Melissa?" Eirika asked her.

"That's quite a bold move, dear…" Melissa–sempai told her. Eirika didn't understand what she meant by that. "In our world, the thing that you did just now only occurs between lovers and when you ate the grain of rice from Kurogasa's face, in our girl's point of view, it's considered as an indirect kiss." she added before Melissa–sempai looked at me. "And you have made Kurogasa here blush by your actions…" she teased while giggling. It was true. I was blushing like crazy. I never thought I'd see the day that Eirika would do something like that.

Realizing this, Eirika suddenly had a blush of her own as she looked down shyly. "S–Sorry about that…"

"N–No, it's okay. I–I don't mind at all…" I got out as Melissa–sempai looked at the blue sky.

"Such young love indeed…"

* * *

_Meanwhile, while the group was still eating their lunches, L'Arachel looked upon the horizon before she stretched upwards with a big smile on her face. "Ha~, just a few more miles to go and I've finally reached home!" L'Arachel expressed._

_"And for once… you didn't get us lost…" Kurai commented, as the princess was flustered from his tease._

_*THWACK!*_

_"Ouch!" Kurai cringed in pain, courtesy of L'Arachel's staff on his head._

_"You better be glad it was me that hit you instead of the gentle Sister… if not, we might have to feel her anger under her smile…" L'Arachel pointed out as Kurai rubbed his head from her attack._

_"Say, L'Arachel… when I first reached this world, how come you just instantly lend me a hand to help you out on a journey before I met them?"_

_L'Arachel pondered at that before giving an answer. "Well, at first I thought that you were just another lost little boy with a strange weapon on your back. Yes, back then, you were pretty much a man with an issue about his mouth as you were even able to defend yourself from my bodyguard's axe attack. At that time, I noticed that you were only defending yourself as you haven't made one single attack on us; which is why I told him to stop and both you and I had a little bit of discussion." she said before she looked at the front. "At first, I thought you were just another lost mercenary with lack sense of direction–"_

_"Look who's talking…" Kurai muttered before L'Arachel wanted to whack his head again, but her staff was being held by Kurai's hand…_

_*STOMP!*_

_"Iteeeeeeeeeeeeeee!" Kurai cringed in pain after L'Arachel learned something from Melissa, which was stomping his toe if plan A didn't work as Kurai hopped around while holding his toe in pain._

_"As I was saying…" L'Arachel continued clearing her throat. "…At first, I thought you were just another lost mercenary with lack sense of direction, and when you told me that you're from another world, I thought that you were just talking crazy and that time, I decided to recruit you with me, which to my surprise, you don't need any wages but rather to have a good fight…"_

_"Yeah… that's the ol' me…" Kurai added before he looked at her. "But I gotta tell ya'…at least I've made the right decision to join with you so that I can meet the rest of the Riders and join forces to save this world… so, uh… thanks, I guess… for helping me out, L'Arachel…" Kurai said while scratching the back of his head. This was one of the rare times that_ he shows his appreciation towards others.

_"You're welcome then." L'Arachel smiled._

* * *

After Eirika, Melissa–sempai, and I ate, I had called Amelia over for a little private talk. "Uh… why are you calling me here, Kurogasa? We were about to depart…" Amelia told me.

"Yeah, I know. This will be quick." I said. "To be straight to the point, I'm promoting you."

"Promoting me?" Amelia blinked, bedazzled. "Wow, promoted by a Legendary Rider is an honor indeed!"

"Easy kid, no need to be _that_ formal. I'm just your average guy helping out. I'm not _that_ legendary." I chuckled. "But anyways, I've been hearing that you've been improving yourself each day and that you're very brave on the battlefield."

"Y–Yes, I do!" Amelia spoke, her eyes still filled with glee. "I've trained every day in order to keep myself fit and ready for any sudden battle and… um, Franz helps me out too…" she said while having a blush on that particular person's name.

"Ahhhhhh, you and Franz huh?" I smirked mischievously. Amelia couldn't help but blush brighter than ever as she looked down.

"…yes…"

"Don't worry; I won't tease you like how Amber teases me and Eirika." I assured her.

* * *

_"Achoo!"_

_"What's wrong, Amber?" Storm blinked as he finished packing up the stuff in the caravan._

_"For some reason I don't know… I think someone's talking about me… and it feels familiar…" Amber said._

_"I don't know who's talking about you, but I do know that my girlfriend will always be fine, and that alone makes me happy." Storm smiled as Amber blushed._

_"I–I guess so…"_

_"Besides, throughout the whole war thing, many flowers are blooming in." Storm added._

_"Yeah… I noticed…" Amber agreed._

* * *

"A–Amber teases you? But, she looks fine to me…" Amelia told me. She doesn't know about Amber's hidden side.

"Oh, that's because you haven't seen that side of her yet." I said. "Once she starts teasing, she'll never stop. But like I said don't worry. Because she only does that to me and Eirika since I've known her for a while."

"O–Oh… alright…" Amelia nodded. "T–Then, what are you promoting me to, Kurogasa?"

"Well, I'll let you pick." I said taking out a Knight Crest for her to see. "What do you want to be?" I asked.

"I, um… always wanted to stay side by side with Franz… as we made a promise to each other…" Amelia wondered. "And I think… a Great Knight would do just fine with me…"

"Then so be it. From this day forward, you're a Great Knight. Congratulations, Lady Amelia." I grinned handing the Knight Crest to her.

"O–oh! Thank you, Kurogasa! And please, just… Amelia is fine… I'm still not used to this title stuff…" Amelia waved it off as she took the Knight Crest from me.

"Alright then, Amelia. We better get going, or we're gonna be left behind."

"R–Right."

* * *

As the sun was about to set near the peaks of the mountain, eventually, we have reached to a place where L'Arachel called home… the Rausten Court. "Ha~, home sweet home! After a long battle with the Undead and such, it sure feels nice to be back home."

"Gwah ha ha! That's right, Lady L'Arachel!" Dolza said happily.

"Whoa, this castle is bigger than the other ones _we_ went through…" Colm added.

"Yeah… but are you sure this is the right place? You didn't get us lost or anything, did you?" Kurai asked her with his obvious questions, making L'Arachel flustered.

*STOMP!*

"Iteeeeeeeeeeeeeee!"

"Oh wow, you and I are alike now, Melissa." L'Arachel said as both women did the same exact thing to him: using their staffs to hurt his toes… both of them. "And doing this thing to him is _SOO_ much fun!"

"I agree…" Melissa–sempai pointed out as Kurai lied on the ground while mending his toes badly.

"Doesn't he get used to it by now?" Kyle asked. "We have witnessed him being crushed down like that on different occasions before…"

"Don't worry; this happens _all_ the time, even back in _our_ world." I waved it off. "If she doesn't have something like a staff, her foot works too. Especially, when she's wearing shoes that have high heels; those hurt _really_ badly. Besides he's used to it by now."

"Like HELL I'm used to it by now!" Kurai shouted at me before all of us who were around her suddenly shuddered when she smiled while emitting her dark aura from her body.

"Oh, Kurai… what did I tell you about using foul languages, hm?" Melissa–sempai asked, causing Kurai to be scared all of the sudden.

"I–It's nothing…" Kurai got out before the aura from her suddenly disappeared as she looked at the shaken Princess of Rausten.

"Well now, Your Highness. Shall we enter the Court to meet with your uncle?" Melissa–sempai asked her, causing L'Arachel to snap out from her thoughts.

"Ah, yes! Quite right, Sister!" L'Arachel said before the two entered, being followed by Dolza, leaving most of us outside of the castle.

"My word… what did I see just now?" Kyle asked.

"Never seen such a gentle Sister do _that_ before…" Forde added.

"When she smiled, I actually felt a malicious aura emitted from her…" Syrene said as Vanessa agreed, meaning they've experienced the same thing.

"Y–Yeah… now I see why some of the guys who felt her wrath always said to watch out for her anger…" Tana squeaked.

"Kurogasa, now I understand your words…" Eirika added.

"Yeah, me too…" Ephraim agreed.

"Well uh, anyways, let's go in." I said.

* * *

After all of us entered into the Court, L'Arachel waltzed towards an old sage with a bald head with a very lighter shade of L'Arachel's hair, mustache and beard, wearing a black mantel with red mantle and wields a long staff in his hand as she ran towards the man and hugged him tightly. "Uncle, I'm home!"

"Oh, L'Arachel! It's good to see you safe!" the sage said delightfully.

"Of _course_ I'm safe, Uncle Mansel. Evil can _never_ defeat the forces of righteousness!" L'Arachel smiled as she let go of the embrace.

"Ha! You're exactly right, my dear!" Mansel said. "Now tell me, who are our guests?"

Eirika, Ephraim, Innes, Joshua and myself stepped forward amongst the group. "Pontifex Mansel of Rausten, allow me to introduce myself. I am Eirika, Princess of Renais. I come to you today as an emissary of Frelia."

"And I am Ephraim, Prince of Renais." Ephraim introduced himself.

"I am Innes, Prince of Frelia, alongside my sister, Tana." Innes told him.

"I am the long lost son of Queen Ismaire of Jehanna, Joshua." he added.

"And I'm Kurogasa. And these are my friends, Akira, Kurai, Melissa, Storm, Amber, and Mikoto." I introduced gesturing to the Riders. "We are the seven Riders of legend."

"Riders of Legend?" Mansel blinked in confusion.

"That's right, Uncle Mansel! The lost legend regarding these fine Riders does exist _after_ all!" L'Arachel said, making him surprised.

"And we're here to warn you of the danger our world faces." Ephraim spoke.

"Danger?" Mansel asked.

"Yes. Allow us to tell you what happened…" Eirika said.

She then told him the story regarding Grado's recent activities, the Dark Stone, the Demon King and I added to her story about the Legend of the Riders in the past regarding the origins of the Sacred Stones from what I heard from Grandmother back at Caer Pelyn and eventually to what has led up to this point. After the tale we've told him, Mansel is still in disbelief from what he has heard from us. Maybe the information we gave to him might be a little bit _too_ much for him to process… "…Hmm, I see." Mansel said. "That _is_ a tough tale to swallow all at once… However, I have heard of the fell creatures in Darkling Woods. L'Arachel. You will need the Stone of Rausten if we have _any_ hope of victory."

"That is so, Uncle." L'Arachel agreed. "I would like permission to open the temple seal."

"Hmm… There's no need to rush yourself so, L'Arachel. You're home again, in this blessed haven. You should rest."

"How can I relax until I know that our Sacred Stone is safe?!" L'Arachel exclaimed. "At the very least, I'd like to ensure that the temple seal is intact."

"Hey, not to be rude here, but I think you should read the mood around here, L'Arachel… we're already tired from taking some of those monsters on along the way here, y'know? Even _I_ need rest…" Kurai explained as she looked around and noticed some of them were really tired.

"Oh…" L'Arachel got out before she turned around and looked at her uncle, smiling. "I think we'll take a night to rest _after_ all. Everyone is so exhausted. My dear friend Eirika especially has had a very trying time of late."

"L'Arachel…" Eirika spoke.

"Very well then, I'll have meals and guest rooms prepared for you all. Please, enjoy yourselves here." Mansel said.

* * *

_As everyone went to their respective rooms waiting for dinner to be served, L'Arachel paid a visit to Eirika's room to check up on her and she found out that Eirika is looking outside of the window, still saddened about Lyon's fate. "Eirika."_

_"Ah!" Eirika said surprised from her appearance as she looked back at her with a friendly smile. "L'Arachel. What can I do for you?"_

_"Don't look so sad." L'Arachel told her, making Eirika surprised before she looked down again. "It wreaks such havoc on your beauty."_

_"L'Arachel." Eirika began. "I… What should I do? Lyon was one of my dearest friends… I feel so helpless. There's nothing I can do to help him…"_

_"Your friend is gone, Eirika. All that remains is the Demon King, masquerading as Lyon. For the good of all humanity, he must be defeated. Ah… If only it truly were that easy, though." Eirika stayed silent at that. "Eirika… I never knew Prince Lyon. I cannot pretend to understand the sadness you must feel. However, I do know this… If the Lyon you hold so dear were here with you today… What do you think he would want you to do?"_

_"I can't…" Eirika got out._

_"There's no need to rush, Eirika." L'Arachel interrupted. "Take your time and think it through. You need to find your own answer. Now then, it's about time we found ourselves something to eat. It's hard to be optimistic on an empty stomach."_

_"Yes, I'll be right there. Thank you, L'Arachel."_

* * *

_At the same time, in another room, Tana tried to console the saddened Ephraim for his friend with her upbeat attitude. "Come on, Ephraim, cheer up!" Tana began, confusing Ephraim._

_"What are you talking about, Tana?" he questioned before he crosses his arms. "There's nothing wrong with me. I'm _always_ like this."_

_"That's not true." Tana said shaking her head. "I've never seen you look so sad as you do right now. If you're depressed, I'm sure my brother would worry… And I… well, I…"_

_"_…_Tana. You're the princess of Frelia." Ephraim said. "Perhaps it's unwise of you to be so friendly to Eirika and me. After all, alliances aside, our two countries' needs may differ. Who knows what the future holds? Those ties could snap in an instant…"_

_"No! Don't _say_ that!" Tana snapped beginning to tear up a bit._

_"And why not?" Ephraim asked. Tana looked at him for a while, until she made the most daring move of going up to him, placing her hands on Ephraim's cheeks, and kissing his lips, surprising the prince._

_At first, Ephraim wanted to push her from her sudden action but knowing her well how she loves him, he just let it be until she eventually broke the kiss on her own and she looked down after that. "You and Eirika are both my friends. We come from different countries it's true, but… but…" Tana began as tears started to fall towards the ground from her eyes. "No matter what happens, the friendship I feel for you will never change!"_

_"_…_I'm sorry, Tana. I wasn't thinking straight." Ephraim said as he suddenly embraced Tana, her head resting on his shoulder. "Please don't cry."_

_"Ephraim…" Tana sobbed while Ephraim tried to calm her down._

_"You're right, though. No matter _what_ happens, the bond between us will _never_ disappear. And it's _because_ Lyon is my friend that I have to put an end to this." He spoke gently as Tana looked at him with a smile. "Thank you, Tana." with that said, the two kissed again under the moonlight._

* * *

"Hmm…" I heard Storm sitting on his bed, and crossing his legs while looking at all seven Common Cards on his bed, thinking about what to do with it.

"What's up Storm?" I asked.

"Oh, hey buddy!" Storm greeted. "It's nothin' really… I was just wondering about something, that's all…"

"Wondering about what?"

"Well… whether I can get my _own_ final form, unlike the series…"

"Your own final form?" I asked raising an eyebrow. "How do you figure that?"

"I dunno… I just feel like thinking about it… I mean, don't get me wrong, I _do_ like the Trial Forms, but… I was wondering… what would happen if I combined all seven of these forms together?" he muttered to himself as thought of this using his intelligence for once. "I dunno whether this is possible or not…" he said concerned.

"Well, I _guess_ it's possible, but… how are you gonna combine all of them together?"

"That's the problem…" Storm muttered. "I can't rouse them all one–by–one as it will eventually change forms instead of combining them… I _really_ hope that I can combine cards like that Wild Card fuses all thirteen cards in the series, Joker included…" he added.

"Hmm… well, I wouldn't worry about it for now. Because right now, it's time to eat, and I'm hungry." I said.

"Yeah… I guess I can continue on thinking about it later on…" Storm sighed before he collected all of the cards and placed it in his side pocket. "I guess I should return it to the girls for borrowing their cards…"

* * *

Dinner was served and I have to say, the food was really good, I admit, but I think Amber's and Tana's cooking are a little bit better. "My dear niece, what seems to be bothering you? Is it the food?" Mansel asked her.

"Oh, it's nothing, uncle! I admit, I missed my hometown meals, but I even enjoyed my companion's cooking more, especially that, uh… what was it called again, that we ate on that night of reunion, Amber?"

"It's curry! It's one of our countries' delicacies!" Amber told her.

"Ah, that's right, Curry!" L'Arachel noted.

"Yeah, even _I_ was amazed how that food turned out! That's why I can now copy, how to cook that kind of dish and any other of her world's dishes too!" Tana chirped as both of them giggled.

"It's like both of them are sisters…" Mikoto pointed out.

"Sisters of another mother from another world? That surely is impossible…" Lute said as she took another bite from her roasted beef.

Hmm… since we're all talking about food, how about I liven up things around here? "Pontifex Mansel, how would you like for me to prepare a dish from my world for you and everyone else up front?" I offered.

"Huh?" Mansel said surprised by my offer and so did the rest of the group, excluding the Riders.

"Up front?" Eirika said surprised for a bit.

"You mean… cooking right in front of us?" Ephraim added.

"Oh boy… I wonder what that kid has in store this time…" Kurai muttered.

"Dunno… but I bet it must be something good, big bro…" Akira added.

"Heh… I see what you're trying to do…" Amber caught on fast.

"But… wouldn't the kitchen be too crowded with all of us in it?" Melissa–sempai said worried.

"Nonsense, Sister! Our kitchen can even fit an entire army as well as a few Pegasi jammed in there!" L'Arachel told her.

"Well then, that's perfect!" I said. "Amber, Tana, let's get cooking!"

* * *

And man, she wasn't kidding about the size of the kitchen… which really reminds me of Iron Chef that I used to watch… and that gives me a good idea. Within thirty minutes instead of an hour, Tana, Amber and I would whip up a grand feast for our _whole_ group as Mansel watched our spectacular cooking style behind the kitchen, which was different from the ones that we had at the camping area. Other than the Riders, they were amazed to see both Amber and I with our _really_ fast skills with the wok and stuff. Even Tana was impressed. After time was up, all of the necessary preparations have been done and served right in front of the Pontifex and Storm and Akira helped out by serving the food to them.

"My word, young man, you sure know how to put on a good show in the kitchen…" Mansel spoke.

"Indeed… this is… truly different…" L'Arachel said it glee in her eyes.

"Well, I'm glad you liked it." I smiled. "Now what we have prepared for you all is bite–sized chicken coated with a sweet sauce, with stir fried vegetables consisting of shredded lettuce, carrots, broccoli, zucchini, and mushrooms, and fried rice that's butter flavored, seasoned with garlic salt, and mixed in with bits and pieces of scrambled eggs. All fresh from the pan! Go ahead and eat!"

"Indeed I will." Mansel said as he and the rest of the group took their spoons, dug up the first thing they wanted to try and once they put it into their mouths… well, everybody's eyes were wide open after taking the first bite, knowing the cooking we did here is _clearly_ on a different level than the ones that _we_ had on the camp. "My word… this is… I… I'm speechless…" Mansel said at loss for words.

"So am I, Uncle…" L'Arachel added as Tana also sampled her dish as after all of the instructions we told her to follow and cooking that she did.

"This is great!" Tana said happily as one by one, more positive feedback were heard as they were enjoying their meals.

"Seeing the smiles on their faces made our efforts worth it, right?" Amber asked me.

"Yep," I answered. I then looked to Eirika who was clearly enjoying her dish too.

"And look, even your _girlfriend_ is happy with your cooking… well, not without _my_ help, of course!" Amber boasted with her big smile.

"No need to be _that_ boastful about it." I said raising an eyebrow at her. "Still, I appreciate the help."

"No problem. Besides, I haven't been into a kitchen for a while, so this should at _least _do the trick…"Amber noted before both of us joined in too.

* * *

_As night continued on, while the rest of the group was having a feast, a soldier was guarding the entrance of the Court. But then the soldier started to hear the voice that was heard from out of nowhere. "Heh, heh, heh… Guard duty? At _this_ time of night? Such a diligent soldier."_

_The sound of the voice caused him to go in a defensive stance. "Who goes there?" The soldier asked while he looked around but nothing appeared right in front of him._

_"Where are you looking? I'm over here." A voice said from his right. _

_"Wha…" A soldier said looking to his right._

_"No, no, _here_. I'm over _here_." A voice said from the left._

_"What's wrong? I'm right _here_. Heh, heh, heh…" The right voice said._

_"Wha… wha…" The soldier said, as he looked everywhere, but he still couldn't see anyone._

_"Is the darkness too deep for you to penetrate? Can't you see what the night is hiding?" The left voice asked._

_"S–Show yourself, you fool!" the soldier manned up before a blast of Aura engulfed him, making the man shriek in pain before the remains of him were there. Riev then appeared out of the shadows._

_"Heh, heh, heh… Humans will _never_ conquer the darkness. The guardian of light, Rausten, will drown in a never–ending night!' Riev declared before he turned around and saw Grado's finest men armed with their weapons in hands. 'Come, my pretties. It's time to go. The day of Rausten's destruction has at long last arrived!"_

_With a war cry outside the palace, another soldier that witnessed the whole scene panicked. "Oh no… the enemies are coming!" he said to himself before he started to run to the Throne Room._

* * *

"That was quite the meal, Kurogasa. I truly enjoyed it…" Eirika said as both of us walked down the hallway, hand–in–hand.

"Thanks." I smiled. "Who knows, maybe I can teach you how to do that kind of cooking."

"You would _do_ that?" Eirika asked me.

"Of course. If it's you, I'll do _anything_, for sure." I said; which made her smile.

"Then, I would be happy if you teach me on–"

"THE ENEMIES ARE COMING! THE ENEMIES ARE COMING!" A voice yelled as our private conversation was interrupted as a soldier ran towards the Throne Room, the same place we're heading to.

"Kurogasa, did you hear that?" Eirika asked concerned.

"Yeah… trouble…" I muttered. "Let's go!"

"Right!" Eirika said as both of us headed there.

* * *

As we've reached the Throne Room, Mansel noticed the soldier taking his breath after the run he had. "Soldier, what seems to be–"

"Your Holiness! There's been an attack!" The soldier spoke, making Mansel surprised. "We think it's Grado's men, fleeing from Frelia's forces. However, they've breached the palace defenses at multiple points!"

"What?!" Mansel said shocked.

"What does he mean by that, Kurai?" Eirika asked him.

"The enemy ain't just coming at the front door, for sure…" Kurai told her.

"Then we're gonna have to meet the enemies at those points then." I said. "Riders and Royalty with me at the front. Everyone else, take the sides and back of the Court! Protect the Pontifex at all cost! Colm and Rennac, we're guests here, so no treasure stealing. You too, Mikoto."

"Awwwwwwwww!" Rennac, Colm, and Mikoto pouted.

"You heard the guy… let's move out!" Joshua said.

"Time to put the attacker where he should belong…" Innes said as he held his bow tightly.

"Please be careful, princess." Seth told her.

"Do not worry, I'll be fine." Eirika assured him.

"The imperial guard is at a terrible disadvantage of numbers right now. It's less a battle than a slaughter. I'm not sure they will be able to hold out until the Knights of Rausten arrive." the soldier informed, as Mansel couldn't help it but worry.

"How has this happened? Our sacred capital invaded? I must–"

"Uncle, please, you must keep yourself safe!' L'Arachel told him. "We can take care of this. Is everyone ready to go?" she asked us."

"Yes, we are! Riders let's go!" I said. The seven of us then took out our buckles and slid in our Change Ace cards, excluding Kurai who only needs to rouse and a deck of cards surrounded our waists, our pulsing sounds being heard. "Henshin!"

**TURN/OPEN UP**

**CHANGE**

With the seven holograms appearing right in front of us, we ran towards the holograms, and donned ourselves in our armor, surprising Mansel.

"That was… something else…" Mansel got out.

"Pontifex Mansel, leave everything to us. We'll drive out the enemy." I assured him.

* * *

_At the back of the castle, the Knights of Renais, Gilliam, Ross, Garcia, Cormag, Glen, Syrene and Vanessa were taking care of the enemy which consisted of the enemy's best lines of offense. "Yaaah!" Ross yelled out a war cry as he swung both of his axes onto one of the warriors, which to his surprise, after dealing the finishing blow, the warrior instantly turned into dust, much to his confusion. "Hey, dad! These guys are under the influence of the Dark Stone!"_

_"I noticed that!" Garcia shouted back before he parried one of the arrow shots at him with his shield before chopping them away with his broadsword. "I think from what I can tell, the user of the Dark Stone might be here!" he pondered before he swings his sword onto the nearby enemy. "What do _you_ think, General Seth?"_

_"It's possible." Seth said. "Nonetheless, we still have to take them out!" He said slashing at a warrior and the latter turned to dust._

_"Yes, the Pontifex must be protected at _all_ cost!" Kyle replied before he made a dash forward._

_As Forde clashed swords with a swordmaster, he noticed within the bush, a Ranger that was aiming for Vanessa. "Hey, watch out!" he shouted at her, but didn't hear because Vanessa was having her hands full with another axeman. Quickly pushes the swordmaster aside, he immediately ran towards her and much to her surprise, he pushed and covered for her as the arrow that was aiming for her hit the axeman instead, turning him into dust. Witnessing this, both Glen and Cormag threw their javelins at the hidden enemy and hits it dead on, turning them into dust._

_"They might still be in there, ambushing the enemies… let's go, Cormag!" Glen said to him._

_"Yes, brother!" Cormag said as the two ran towards the shadow area._

_Forde pushed himself up and looked to where the duo went off to. "Phew, that was a close call…" he said before he looked upon Vanessa that was on the ground. "Are you okay?"_

_"Yes, I'm fine." Vanessa replied._

_"Gotta be more careful next time." Forde said concerned._

_"I will… thanks…" Vanessa said blushing lightly, which made Forde smile as he stood up and helped her back on her feet._

_"Come now! We still got some more enemies to take down!" he said before both of them head towards Syrene and Gilliam, taking down some more enemies with their lances as Franz blocked one of the axeman's axe with a swift of his sword before pushing the enemy back to the wall._

* * *

_"Don't let the enemy get to the throne room!" one of the Rausten's knight shouted as they created a line of defense from the incoming wave of Generals. Knoll and Ewan casted their dark spells and thus creating a spell circle on the ground, making it disappear before the dark magic engulfed two of the enemy's Generals, burning them to cinder._

_In the meantime, Father Moulder healed one of the wounded Rausten's knights before he was fully recovered and held his lance once again. "Thank you, Father."_

_"You are welcome, soldier. Just be careful next time…" Father Moulder said before the soldier joined the front line._

_Seeing more of the enemy's top fighters increasing, Myrrh activated her Dragon Stone, turning herself into the Great Dragon, spewing her flames onto the enemy and burning them all to a cinder before she reverted back to herself. "It would seem to be taking care of this part…" Saleh said._

_"No, it's not over yet…" Myrrh told him before more of the enemy's warriors entered the east side._

_"Even so, we must press on…" Duessel said as he held his sword and got into a stance._

* * *

_While the whole group was busy protecting the east side, Rennac entered a lone room; filled with treasures as he had a smile on his face. "It's a good thing there's no one in here… might as well take a look inside…" Rennac said as he held his lockpick item from his pouch and started messing around the treasure chest._

_"And just what do you think you're doing?" Amelia asked._

_Rennac was surprised to hear another voice behind him and he immediately turned around and hid his lockpick items in his back. "Oh, uh… it's nothing! I was just wanted to see whether the items are missing in this chest or not…"_

_"What makes you say _that_?" Amelia asked him as an enemy thief dropped down towards the room via the open nearby window, surprising the two. "An enemy!" she shouted._

_"Hey! Hands off my treasure!" Rennac shouted as he went for the thief with his dagger._

_"Did I… hear what he just said?" Amelia asked herself blinking before another thief appeared nearby and prepared her lance, charging towards him._

* * *

_"Feel my might!" Gerik shouted at the nearby enemy before he slashed his axe onto one of the shamans, cleaving his body in half before he got defensive with his shield from the warrior's axe onto him._

_"Chief!" Tethys shouted before she threw a vase onto one of the mage's head, knocking them out before they turned into dust. "Oops… I thought I was aiming for the one that's attacking the Chief…" she said before a swordsman tried to hit her with his sword, only to have Marisa to stop the attack._

_"Go. I'll take care of him…" Marisa said before she pushed him back and got into a stance while Tethys made a run for it. She can felt the warmth from her Shamshir, knowing that Lute was helping her out and with a swing of her blade, a crescent flame shot out from it, taking out a row of enemy soldiers, turning them into dust._

_"I knew it! That attack really worked!" Lute boasted as Marisa looked at the mage knight in full silence before she ran towards the enemy to take out some more._

_"Let there be light to bind them from the darkness… Divine Blast!" Artur shouted before a beam of light descended from the sky, burning away some of the shaman as the latter cried in pain before he immediately disappeared. After that, Artur noticed more of them coming towards their direction. "O divine light, just how long would we have to hold onto this battle?" Artur said sadly as the knights of Rausten covered him and tried to push some of them back._

_"Gwah ha, ha! Allow me to introduce to you my little friend, Chopper!" Dolza said jovially before he swung his axe onto the advanced swordsman, disarming them before cleaving their head off to turn them into dust._

_"Will you let go of me already, Neimi?! I can't help but to get that treasure inside this room! My fingers are _itching_ for one already!" Colm scolded as Neimi tried her best to not let him get the treasure that was inside the unguarded room._

_"N–No Colm! Kurogasa said no!"_

_"Geez, why do _I_ care about what he said?! I'm an assassin with a heart of a thief! It's my _nature_ to loot them for what I want!" he declared. When he opened the door, he noticed an enemy rogue that was picking a lock and held a Hammerne Staff on his hand._

_"C–Colm! A thief is getting t–the treasure!" Neimi said before two more thieves that entered the same window as the first one._

_"Hey! Hands off my treasure!" Colm shouted._

_"Yeah? Says who? You're just another assassin!" one thief spoke._

_"Really? I'd like to see how you like my daggers going down your throat!" Colm said as he took out both daggers and dashed towards the thieves as Neimi aimed her arrow from her horse towards her target._

* * *

**SLASH**

**THUNDER**

Two holograms of Slash Lizard and Thunder Dear appeared right on my back before I parried one of the berserker's axe onto my Rouzer and when the two entered my armor, a declaration was heard.

**LIGHTNING SLASH**

With a spark from my blade, its current ran through the axe and surprisingly, through the wood with metal decorations on it before it reached towards the berserker, shocking him and forced him to take a step back before I slashed his chest and pierced my Rouzer straight _through_ his chest, piercing it before he crumbled to ashes.

"Mou~~! I _really_ want to know what's inside the chest!" Glaive said childishly before she slashed down a ranger with his sword on him, leaving out an 'A' cut on him. "Can't I just take a teeny weeny peek inside the chest, Kurogasa?!" she begged as her Nami mode instantly took over.

"No!"

"Awwwwwwwww!" Glaive pouted under mask.

**DROP**

**FIRE**

Garren held his Rouzer tightly on his hand as his other one curled up tightly, and his kicking foot was engulfed in flames.

**BURNING SMASH**

"Take _this_ on for size!" Garren said before he made a big leap in the sky, doing a few corkscrew spins, before dropping down for the kick, unleashes a few shots onto the enemy on the ground. As the kick connected onto a rather large General, he made a quick tap with his foot on the General's shoulder, performing a somersault and aimed his Rouzer on his helmet, shooting at him a few times before Garren landed perfectly, the General exploding into dust right after that.

Meanwhile Tana swooped down her sword onto the enemy, dismounting another Falcon Rider to the ground before the enemy's Pegasus was shot down by Innes' arrows. "Wohoo! Did you _see_ that, Amber? I just took down another one!"

"Yeah, I see ya! But there're still too _many_ of them!" Larc told her in her Trial Form, wielding her Gatling gun in hand as she unleashed a few more shots onto her target, taking them out one at a time. "And we better stay focus, Tana!"

"Yeah! With you and my brother on my side, this is going to be easy!" Tana said before the two advanced forward.

"Honestly, Tana… you can be reckless at times… not to mention make me worried…" Innes sighed before he took out another arrow and aimed at the enemy's Wyvern Rider.

**BITE**

**BLIZZARD**

The holograms of Bite Cobra and Blizzard Polar entered Leangle's armor.

**BLIZZARD CRUSH**

Leangle's armor emitted a cold breeze as the sage casted an Elfire towards her. Leangle leaped high to the sky and as the sage casted the Elfire on her, streams of ice immediately shots out from her kick, and the flames extinguished, surprising the sage before her scissor kick connected onto the enemy's chest, cleanly kicking him off from him before he ended up rolling on the ground, turning into ash while Leangle landed on the ground. "Well, that takes care of that…" she said to herself until–

*STAB!*

"Hm?" Leangle said confused. When she turned around, she noticed that Eirika stabbed a swordmaster with her Sacred Twin before she pulled it out and the enemy turned into dust. "My, thank you, Eirika, dear… I didn't see him coming at me from my back…" she thanked her.

"You're welcome." Eirika smiled.

**DRILL**

**TORNADO**

"Round and round I go, where I stop only _I_ know!" Chalice shouted.

**SPINNING ATTACK**

With a few big steps, he launched himself upwards before delivered the drill kick onto a Great Knight, causing the latter to put up his shield, but the kick that was enough to force him to dismount from his heavily guarded horse. Taking this chance, Chalice impaled his Arrow onto the enemy's chest, through his thick armor, thus killing him before he turned into dust. "Hmph, I was expecting a better challenge… what an eyesore indeed…" he muttered to himself before he took a leap back to avoid the javelin that landed on the ground, courtesy of another General throwing it at him.

"Natasha, stay close to me!" Joshua said as three swordsmen surrounded both of them as he held his Sacred Twin in hand and protected Natasha on his back, the two being against the wall. Taking this chance, one of the swordsman advanced forward, and Joshua immediately used his ice sword to slash the enemy away quickly before finishing him off with a stab on his stomach; turning him into dust. Before he could even relax, the other two swordsmen advanced towards him, forcing him to get into the defense as a few cuts appeared on his shoulder and arm before he took a step back.

"Joshua!" Natasha cried out as she stood near him while Joshua applied pressure on the cut he had on his shoulder.

"Any last words you wanna say?" one of the swordsmen asked him.

*SLASH!*

"Watch your back…" I muttered as I have slashed one of the swordsman's back, and the later turned to dust. The other swordsman went full alert on me as he wanted slash on me, but two lances stabbed through his chest and stomach. As it turned out, it was Lance and Ephraim that dealt the blow towards the other one before it turned into a pile of ash too. Joshua sighed in relief at that.

"Good timing… couldn't get any better than this…" Joshua commented as Natasha immediately started to heal him.

"At least we're nearby to help out…" Lance said .

"And we'll always help out our comrades in arms…" Ephraim added before I turned around and noticed some berserkers and enemy heroes heading towards our direction.

"Oh, you've _got_ to be kidding me!" I groaned in anger.

"Just how many of them _are_ there anyways?" Joshua wondered as Lance held two cards in his hand and roused it on his Rouzer.

**TRIAL… B**

**TRIAL… D**

With the declaration called out, Lance was in his Trial Form, equipped with deadly fists. "Well, as long as there are enemies still standing, I guess we gotta have to _force_ it down instead!" Lance shouted as he stabbed his Rouzer on the ground before dashing towards them, landing a fist onto the enemy's chest before it crumbled down into pieces, and switching to the next one.

"Hey, leave me some of them for me to take down!" Ephraim shouted before he joined in to assist him.

I looked around the area for more enemies until I saw an old man behind the Grado army. It must be the leader. "So, you have _also_ spotted from afar, yes?" L'Arachel said coming to me as she also looked at the figure from afar. "It seems like he's the mastermind for this kind of mess, don't you think so, Kurogasa?"

"Yeah. Let's get the jump on him."

"You took the words right out of my mouth!" L'Arachel said before both of us made chase. The figure noticed our advance and a few more of his strongest defense lined up. L'Arachel stopped in her tracks and I continue to slash out the enemies with my Rouzer in hand. When the enemies were about to attack L'Arachel, she unleashed a blast of light, completely exploding them upon impact before she advanced as well while casting out more of her magic on them.

Eventually, when all of them were settled out after three minutes of battling, the dust cleared out and both of us still stood tall. The figure chuckled at our efforts. "Heh, heh, heh… it seems like those powers you hold isn't just for show…" the figure said, and L'Arachel was shocked to see who it was.

"No way… is that person who I _think_ it could be?!" L'Arachel said.

"You know him?" I asked.

"Yes! It's Riev. He used to be a part of the Rausten Court until he was exiled and excommunicated for heresy." L'Arachel explained.

"Heh, heh, heh… so you _do_ remember me, after all…" Riev chuckled.

"What is your purpose here, Riev?! You have no right to return back here for the sins you have committed!" L'Arachel growled.

"Heh, heh, heh… isn't it obvious, Princess L'Arachel? I'm aiming to destroy your precious little Stone the Rausten Court holds…" Riev said before he looked at me. "And I believe you must be the so–called Riders that put Valter out of his misery, correct?"

"Yeah, and I destroyed Valter _utterly_ after what he did to Eirika." I growled.

"Heh, heh, heh… as expected from the man of legends…" Riev chuckled before he looked at the princess. "Give it up, Princess. You should already know this world belongs to the Demon King… if only that foolish Prince Ephraim didn't take down the Phantom Ship within my control over creating my own path, it should have taken over the country by now…"

"And yet, you've failed to defeat him…" L'Arachel pointed out.

"You like you really _are_ determined to release the Demon King after all…" I pointed out.

"Heh, heh, heh… The day is coming, and swiftly… The day of our triumph, our vengeance! Self–righteous fools of Rausten! Where are your miracles now?!" he shouted at us as I gripped my Rouzer rather tightly than before. "Your time is upon you! Tonight, we claim not only Pontifex Mansel's sad life, but also Rausten's Sacred Stone! Heh, heh, heh… You cretin, Mansel… I _will_ have my revenge. You should _never_ have excommunicated me. The Demon King will be your new master!"

"Like I'll let that happen to my uncle, you heretic!" L'Arachel said furiously.

"Heh, heh, heh… with one Sacred Stone remains, and once it is destroyed, darkness will consume the world. What will you do? Will you cower in fear? Would the 'legendary' Rider and his followers protect this world from harm? Heh, heh, heh…" Riev mocked.

"You _bet_ we will!" I answered. "And it starts with taking you out!" I added placing my Rouze Absorber on my arm and taking out the cards needed.

**ABSORB QUEEN**

**EVOLUTION KING**

With the plaque of the Caucasus on my Rouse Absorber, all of my cards circled around me and once they have entered their respective places, I was donned in King Form, wielding my King Rouzer. "Ah, so _that_ must be the form that defeated him… heh, heh, heh…" Riev said with slight interest.

"I want to see you laugh right after I cut your tongue off!" I shouted before I dashed towards him and as I was about to land my King Rouzer on him, another figure blocked the attack and upon closer inspection, I was in shock to see my living nightmare appear in front of me once again and he pushed me back, getting into the stance of fighting.

"Heh, heh, heh… how does it feel to see your old enemy appear right in front of you?" Riev chuckled as the person I hated the most took his stance with a sinister smirk on his face, wielding Obsidian.

"Heh. You think that scares me _now_?!" I shouted. "I cut him in pieces _beyond_ recognition! Even making his organs, flesh, and bones explode!"

"Heh, heh, heh… is that so? Well, I want to see you against _this_ many!" Riev said as he got into a trance and soon enough, more of these Valters appeared from the ground… so many of them, it's _beyond_ recognition on how many there are…

"W–What? I _thought_ resurrection only occurred on a human, but not _this_ many!" L'Arachel exclaimed.

"Heh, heh, heh… with dark arts, _anything_ can happen… with some of the pieces that my soldiers collect, I can create as many duplicates as I want!" Riev said before he dodged to the side as L'Arachel shot him with her Shine attack.

"You fiend! What you did now is _truly_ unforgivable!" L'Arachel shouted before Riev took a few steps back.

"Heh, heh, heh… I'd best stop and withdraw for now, leaving your precious stone intact. Follow me. Come to Darkling Woods… The Demon King awaits your pleasure…" Riev let out before he disappeared from our view, leaving us with these Valters to deal with.

"Drats! He got away!" L'Arachel said snapping her finger and now we find the problem of dealing with these many Valters, surrounding us and ready to attack us. "Kurogasa, what should we do? We're being outnumbered in this mess…"

**BURNING DIVIDE**

**SPINNING WAVE**

**BLIZZARD VENOM**

The Valters looked to the side and got into their defensive stance as Garren, Chalice, and Leangle arrived. "Out of my way!" Chalice shouted as he dashed through them, chopping them away with his powered up chop, breaking away their fake Obsidians, before chopping them off the block, turning them into a pile of ashes.

Leangle stabbed her Rouzer onto one of the Valters, pushing him upwards towards the group before it exploded, its remaining shards spread towards them, hitting them in multiple places and only a few of them turned into a pile of ash.

"Hiyahh!" Garren shouted before he dropped four kicks to the ground, connecting them onto a defending Valter clone before he landed perfectly on the ground and the Valter fakes exploded, spreading it towards other Valters.

"Batter up!" A voice shouted, before I saw Lance deliver one of his Kempo punches onto them, followed by Glaive's 'A' cut on them, Innes and Larc's shots onto multiple Valters, Tana's strong thrust onto their heads, Joshua's sword dance, Ephraim's lance through each of them and eventually, Eirika joining in, stabbing one of them with her Sacred Twin before it turned into piles of ashes, making the rest of the Valters' decrease in numbers drastically.

"Kurogasa, are you alright?" Eirika asked concerned.

"I'm fine, but I'm _not_ fine with these Valter clones that Riev made."

"Me too…" Eirika said as I noticed she was slightly shaken about it. "I can't forget what that man did to me…"

"That's why you have _me_." I said cheekily. She looked at me with her beautiful gaze and nodded with a smile before I pushed her aside from the first Valter that was summoned out earlier, from stabbing her before I countered back with a slash of my own, which he parried with his lance before he skidded back a few meters. Ephraim joined in and distracted him for a while, as Lance and Leangle joined by stabbing him in multiple directions, followed by Joshua's slash on him, and Tana's Pegasus kicking him on the face. A few shots from Innes, Larc, and Garren made its mark and finally a flash of light was directed on Valter, making him disarmed and flew a few meters away as it laid on the ground.

"You're the only one left… but I think I'll let those two finish you off!" L'Arachel said as Eirika held her Sacred Twin and stood next to me.

"Kurogasa, shall we end him together?" Eirika asked me.

"You just read my mind." I grinned under my mask as five cards came out of my armor and I slotted them in the King Rouzer.

**SPADE TEN**

**JACK**

**QUEEN**

**KING**

**ACE**

As Eirika and I got into our stance, five holograms appeared right in front of me. Valter slowly pushed himself up and noticed we were getting into our stance for the big finish…

**ROYAL STRAIGHT FLUSH**

Eirika took the first lead, prompting Valter to cross his arm, anticipating her attack. I followed suit and when both of us closed the gap, it have time to react over my incoming attack, lowering its guard. With the chance we've been looking for, we let out a strong diagonal slash, creating an 'X' mark on its body. As soon as Eirika puts her Sacred Twin back into its sheath and I stabbed by King Rouzer on the ground, an explosion occurred, and Valter disappeared within the explosion.

"Well, that takes care of that…" Glaive spoke.

"Behold! Victory is ours!" L'Arachel cheered.

"Yeah! It would take more than just dust bunnies to take us out!" Tana added.

"Yes, we did it somehow. I wonder if everyone else is ok." Eirika wondered.

"Have no fear. Knowing them all, they're going to be just fine…" Natasha assured her.

"Eirika? Did you find the answer that you are looking for?" L'Arachel asked her.

"Yes. I did. Your words helped me. Thank you L'Arachel."

That comment made L'Arachel blush. "My–_My_ words? It was nothing!" L'Arachel stammered.

"Uh… is something wrong with big sis?" Garren asked us.

"Beats me…" Chalice added.

"Come, we should find the Sacred Stone, if anything were to happen to it!" L'Arachel said quickly turning around, avoiding the gazes that looked at her as all of us canceled our transformation.

"L'Arachel, are you alright?" Melissa–sempai asked.

"O–Of course I'm alright, Sister! Come now! We should go inside and looked at the Sacred Stone!" L'Arachel told us before she headed out towards the Court, leaving us behind.

"I wonder if there was something that bothered her…" Natasha blinked.

"Probably couldn't take such good compliments in front of many people…" Innes added.

"By the way, what _did_ she ask you?" I asked Eirika as she placed her forefinger on my lips with a smile.

"It's a secret."

"Oh ok. Hey L'Arachel, we can deal with the Sacred Stone tomorrow if you want!" I called out to her.

"Ah! Of course! We'll do it tomorrow then! I bet everyone must be feeling tired from this madness…" L'Arachel said before she continued to walk without looking back.

"I need my beauty sleep right now…" Amber said as she let out a big yawn.

"Come now, we all should go inside and take a good night sleep…" Melissa–sempai said as everyone agreed and headed back towards the Court, leaving me and Eirika behind.

"Well, all's well that ends well." I said.

"Yes, it does… and the night is still young…" Eirika added as she looked at the sky, which was a full moon.

"Yeah it is."

"And since the night is still young, maybe we can–"

"No," I said knowing what she was thinking about. "Especially, not here in Rausten. This is a holy place after all."

"I wasn't asking for _that_, silly." Eirika corrected me as she had a little blush on her face and giggled. "I was thinking of having a little date of our own… what do you think?"

"Oh…" I got out blushing. Jeez, I gotta get my head out of the gutter. "Um, sure. Where do you wanna go?"

* * *

And so, we had a date as we held hands and by Eirika's recommendation, we decided to have our date at the fountain that was located at the middle of the castle's garden, which was really beautiful and the moon shined beautifully in the area. To be honest, I was really nervous because this is my first time dating with Eirika since the whole war started and I bet Eirika must feel the same too. If only I knew she was going to ask me out on a date, I would've asked for some advice from Storm or Melissa–sempai… and it's the _boy_ that should ask a girl on a date, not the other way around. Man, this nervousness is getting to me. "Kurogasa…" Eirika began. "…do you miss your world?"

"Huh? Where did _that_ come from all of a sudden?" I asked looking at her.

"Because… when this war is over, you're going to return back to your world, right?" Eirika asked as I tried to recall from my past. It's been seven months since I got here and at first, after we got sucked into this world, alongside Amber and Storm, I was determined to find my way back home. And with a twist of fate, I met Eirika and assisted her to bring her to safety. After helping her out on different occasions, my feelings for her grew and eventually, I confessed my feelings to her at Jehanna Hall and she returned it back with her love towards me, thus making us a couple. My bonds with the rest of the group have been formed and we always looked out for each other and not to mention my friends helped me out on stuffs that I can't handle alone. After getting this far… I don't know whether I _really_ wanted to go home… "…and we'll never see each other again after this, right?" Eirika said sadly, as I snapped out of my thoughts of it.

"Well, I…" I got out. "I mean… it doesn't have to _be_ like that. I could stay here and live with you or vice–versa, you coming and live with me in the modern world. And I'm sure my friends, Ephraim, and Tana can understand no _matter_ the decision."

"But… that means one of us has to make a sacrifice for one's sake…" Eirika said as she looked at me with her sad eyes. "Leaving one behind for the sake of another… if you stay here, you'll _never_ find your way back home again… and if I followed you… I have to leave my friends and brother behind…"

"Eirika…" I got out.

At that point, she wiped off her tears before she looked back at me with a smile. "I guess we should think of that later on…"

"Uh, yeah… just thinking about it is just gonna make it worse…" I told her, which she nodded. "But I can tell you _this_; we'll look for the solution, together."

"That's right… and whatever decision you make, I'll accept it…" Eirika told me before she looked back up at the moon. "Kurogasa… what is your world like? Is it different than ours?"

"A _lot_ different." I answered. "There are little to no castles. There are really tall buildings that look like it could scrape the sky at any moment, everything is run by electricity, and… there're just so many other things that would amaze you."

"Really?" Eirika asked; which I nodded. "Please, tell me more about your world…" she said full of interest since she's already curious about it. So, throughout the whole night of our date, I've told her everything that I knew about the world I live in; the carnivals, the festivals, the summer vacations and most importantly, the scene of the Sakura Tree during spring time, which is said to be the most beautiful view ever amongst us Japanese people. She let out a small yawn, which I did the same thing too. "It's getting late… but at least I know a few things about _your_ world, Kurogasa."

"Yeah," I agreed, and then got up and started to leave. "I'll see you in the morning. And Eirika…?"

"Yes?" She asked as I turned my head.

"If I _do_ decide to stay here to live with you, without a way for me to return home… I… I just want you to know that I'll be okay with it. A man once said, "A bond is a deep connection that can never be broken. Even if apart, heart and heart are still connected." I quoted. "There will _always_ be a place for me to return to Eirika. That and the bonds with my friends are why I can endure being apart from them."

"Kurogasa…" Eirika got out before walked towards the hallway. I paused for a moment and when I looked behind my back, I saw Eirika turned to the side and held her hands in prayer. "Lyon… You were so selfless. Your generosity seemed to flow from a bottomless well. I'm so sorry, Lyon. I couldn't save you. But I know what you would have wanted. I know it as I know my own name. So watch, Lyon. I _will_ defeat the Demon King alongside with my friends… we will reach the conclusion of this war…"

That's what I heard before I finally walked towards my room. _I'll_ decide my fate, as Melissa–sempai once said to me, 'The fate might have already been written, but it is _my_ decision to either _follow_ it or _defy_ it to make a new one'. _I'll_ decide it when this war ends.

* * *

Alrighty, and that's another chapter down! Hope you enjoyed it! Review!


	23. Chapter 20: Darkling Woods

Hey there guys! It's Fenikkusumaru again with another chapter of Kamen Rider Blade: The Sacred Stones! We're almost near the end people! And we're not gonna stop until we _reached_ the end! So let's go!

Disclaimer: Same thing.

* * *

Chapter 20: Darkling Woods

Last night's date turned out to be fine… even if she asked me about whether wanting to go home or not. But the question _does_ bothers me somewhat… isn't there any way for us to not make a sacrifice about leaving one another for the sake of others? Well, I better not think about it too much or else, I can't _really_ decide on what to do next… I slowly pushed myself up and realized that the other boys were still sleeping. Akira was sleeping quietly, Storm rolled over to the side while mumbling about his egg burger, Kurai had his pillow on his face because he felt like it, and I'm awake in the middle of the morning, realizing that this is one of those rare times that I'll be up… and won't be going back to sleep for some reason anytime soon… "I might as well get up." I yawned as I sat up and stretched out to loosen up.

While I loosened up, I heard some sort of soft voice, singing a song outside of the room, which was familiar to me. "Is there someone else already awake?" I blinked before I decided to get out from my bed and approached the door. The closer I got to the door, the louder I heard the singing and the more obvious on who sang the song. When I opened the door and took a peek outside, I noticed it was Melissa–sempai clasping her hand while looking outside of the archway with her eyes closed as she was singing Konoyo no Uta, the one that she sang to me when I have my doubts… while she was singing, her voice really echoed throughout the hallway, possibly as if she wanted everyone to hear her sing.

Fu~wa fu~wa fu~ruri  
A~shita~ wa ki~tto  
Fu~wa fu~wa fu~ruri~~

And it was already near the ending as Melissa-sempai took a deep breath and finished her song with a kind smile.

So~ra ni, to~doku.

After she finished her song, she slowly opened her eyes and looked up at the sky. "I hope you sleep well, dear little brother…"

"Sempai?" I asked.

She was startled when she noticed I was looking at her and she looked at me, smiling. "Kurogasa… Is there something troubling you?"

"Oh no, I just woke up and… heard you sing." I answered.

"Oh…" Melissa–sempai got out before she giggled. "I was having trouble getting some sleep too… so I thought a little song from what I learnt a long time ago would do the trick…" she told me.

"Oh. Why were you having trouble sleeping? Is something wrong?" I asked.

"It's nothing much, dear…" Melissa–sempai said as she looked at the view outside the archway, still smiling. "I was just wondering whether my little brother is fine on his own or not… only that was concerning me. That's why I wake up earlier than others… when you're around, I feel like my little brother is here with me…" she said as she looked at me. "That's why I don't have to be worried about it as everyone has been nice towards us… and that alone was enough to wash away my doubts."

"I see." I answered. "Well, since we're both up, how about we cook some breakfast for everyone? Maybe some oyakodon will do the trick."

"Hm… I'll take up on your offer. It _has_ been a while since I made breakfast…" Melissa–sempai nodded before both of us headed towards the kitchen. "But… is it okay? I mean, won't the chefs get mad at us for entering their kitchen without permission?"

"Oh, I'm sure it'll be fine. We're guests here, so I'm sure they won't mind." I assured her. We continued to walk down the hallway until we saw… Eirika coming out of a door from the hallway and she looked like she just woke up too. "Eirika?"

"Oh… Kurogasa… Melissa…" Eirika got out.

"Having trouble sleeping too, dear?" Melissa-sempai asked, and Eirika nodded.

"Yes… I can't seem to fall back to sleep… and I heard a gentle song during my sleep… I do not know what it meant, but it was comfortable to sleep under that song. And before I knew it, I was already awake…" Eirika explained.

"Oh, that was sempai singing." I answered. "Anyways, we're gonna head over to the kitchen and cook some breakfast for everyone. Wanna join?"

"Really? Are you sure?" Eirika blinked.

"Of course." I said coming up to Eirika and kissed her, which she returned before we pulled back. "Besides, I did say I was gonna teach you how people from my world cook, so consider this, me asking you out on a date." I winked.

Eirika couldn't help but break down into giggles as she happily nodded in agreement before she looked at Sempai. "And I was wondering… if you could… teach me that song you sang earlier, Sister?"

"I don't mind at all. I can teach you about the song if you want too, dear." Melissa–sempai assured her before the three of us headed towards the kitchen, ready to prepare oyakodon.

* * *

I had to say cooking with Eirika and sempai was really fun. Thankfully, the chefs allowed us to use the kitchen so we can do our cooking. What we needed were some raw chicken, onions, sugar, water, and a lot of eggs and rice. Plus they had some liquid that was similar to mentsuyu, a soba noodle soup base, which was good with me.

"Eirika, please don't whisk the egg too hard with an egg beater. We don't want to create too many bubbles on it. Stirring it with a spoon to break the yolk will do just fine…" Melissa–sempai said giving a tip to Eirika.

"Of course, Sister." Eirika nodded as she stirred the eggs with a spoon, just like what she told her to do and Melissa-sempai looked at the pot, where the rice was cooking nicely.

"The rice is nearly done… Kurogasa, how's the sauce going along?" Melissa–sempai asked me.

"Great. And the water, sugar, mentsuyu base liquid mixed with the chicken and onions are cooking nicely." I answered.

"That's good to hear…" Melissa–sempai said delighted.

"Should we let the chefs taste our dish first? It's only fair since they are allowing us to use the kitchen…" Eirika suggested.

"Sure, we can make extras for them, right sempai?" I asked.

"Don't worry, dear. There will be enough for everyone to enjoy the meal." Melissa-sempai assured me before we continued on with our cooking. I have a feeling they're going to like it.

* * *

"Hm? What is this simple dish, lad? It looks like some sort of porridge…" Mansel pointed out questioning the menu on the table.

"I've never _seen_ a dish like _this_ before…" Ephraim added as most of the group who joined at the table was also questioning on it, but the rest of the Riders already knew what it is as they couldn't help but smile.

"Waa~~, okaa–san used to make this every morning!" Mikoto said excited.

"Yeah, I agree with you, Mikoto-chan!" Akira added.

"A parent–and–child porridge, huh? It's been a while…" Kurai noted.

"Young man, what _is_ this dish?" Mansel asked curiously.

"It's called oyakodon. It means "parent and child bowl" as represented in the chicken and the egg." I explained. "There's also some sliced onions mixed with the chicken and egg with rice on the bottom. It's simple yet delicious and filling. And we made enough if you any of you want seconds. So go ahead and enjoy."

Mansel nodded before the rest of the group took their spoons and dug in their food. Once they have taken the first bite, Mansel was enjoying it. "It tastes just right…" Mansel commented.

"I agree, Uncle!" L'Arachel added as she looked at me delighted. "If only you weren't a Rider, my Uncle would definitely hire you to be the head chef of the Court! Maybe this way, we can enjoy the meals made from your world every day!" she pointed out.

"Aw shucks." I said rubbing my nape in embarrassment.

"Waa~~ oishi!" Mikoto said with glee.

"Yeah, now _this_ feels like home _already_!" Storm said happily as he went to have seconds.

"Kurogasa, I think we should have our breakfast as well too…" Eirika noted.

"Yes, dear. She's right." Melissa–sempai said before I heard my stomach growling. "And I think your stomach agrees." she added with a slight giggle.

"Oh, right…" I chuckled sheepishly. "All that cooking's gotten me hungry too."

* * *

_While waiting for the gates to the Sacred Stone of Rausten to open up, Innes and L'Arachel were engaging in a conversation. "The Theocracy of Rausten_ certainly_ sounds like a spectacular land." Innes spoke._

_"As does Frelia, much more than I imagined or heard it would." L'Arachel said. "And yet…"_

_"You mean to ask which is the more spectacular. Is_ that_ it?" Innes asked._

_"What?!" L'Arachel said surprised as she stomped her foot down and placed both of her hands on her waists, looking at the prince smiling confidently. "That's no question at _all_! Rausten is _clearly_ superior in _every_ way."_

_Innes smirked at that as he crossed his arms and closed his eyes. "I expected you would say so. But what of the truth? Your opinion is subjective, is it not?"_

_"Well… um…" L'Arachel got out pondering on what she should say to him before she came to a conclusion. "All opinions _are_ subjective, but I'm sure an objective evaluation would yield the same result."_

_"To prove that, we will need some fair and impartial third in our discussion." Innes caught on, making L'Arachel happy for a reason._

_"Indeed! And I have a splendid idea." L'Arachel added. "Let the pair from Renais judge. Surely Ephraim and Eirika can come to a proper decision."_

_"Of course. I agree completely." Innes began. "I think I should remind the two of all the wonders Frelia holds."_

_"Then it's decided! They will visit both of our homes, and we'll show them such splendor as to leave them breathless!" L'Arachel said delighted as she looked outside of the archway, smiling. "Invitations to tour our two nations will _surely_ have them overjoyed!"_

_"It would only be natural." Innes said while looking at the same view, which they saw Ephraim training with Storm in a spar while Eirika was chatting happily with Kurogasa._

_"It _would_ be natural! Very well then. Let us deal with this evil and take those two home with us. First and foremost, it is a competition to see whose land is more magnificent!" she expressed looking at Innes with her delightful smile._

_"I can see this whole affair has you very enthralled. I cannot say where this little competition will lead us… But I am more than happy to go up against you." Innes smiled while crossing his arms, looking at the princess._

_"Don't blame _me_ if you regret our contest later, though. You may be composed before others, but you'll surely be lonely on your own." L'Arachel teased as their gaze got closer._

_"Be warned _yourself_. Your words here may prove embarrassing to you later." Innes warned to her as their gazed were closer than ever as sparks of rivalry within their eyes appeared between the two._

_"It's not a problem. This is just another contest in the name of all that is holy and true."_

_"Ah, very well then." Innes said._

_One of the sages from the Court approached her. "Your Highness, the gates to the Sacred Stone is opened."_

_"Ah, thank you!" L'Arachel said to him before she looked at her rival. "Come now, let us settle this matter before we can decide on which land is far more superior!"_

_"Agreed."_

* * *

Man that was the best breakfast I've ever heard. It just tastes that much better when you work hard, on cooking it. After breakfast and washing all the dishes and whatnot, Eirika and I were on our way to the temple to retrieve the Sacred Stone of Rausten.

"With all four stones have been destroyed, only the Sacred Stone of Rausten remains…" Seth spoke.

"If it wasn't for my blunder… the chances of sealing the Demon King would have been higher…" Eirika said to herself.

"Do not blame for something you weren't expecting, Eirika. What's done is done. With this one last Stone remaining, we still have the chance to seal it once and for all." L'Arachel said.

"And you _better_ be sure that last stone is protected at _all_ cost…" Kurai told her.

"I'll have you know the stone is in _good_ hands!"

"I was wondering about that…" Kurai muttered to himself while looking away from L'Arachel as we entered the room where the stone shined brightly in its area, filling the light without any fire lamps needed.

"Man, that's bright." I commented as the light from the Stone shined, blinding me a bit before my eyes adjusted. We went up to the altar, and on it was a small stone, the color of L'Arachel's hair.

"And here it is." L'Arachel said taking the Stone from its pedestal. "Behold! I have here in my hand the Sacred Stone of Rausten."

"Yeah, just don't drop it or you'll doom us all…" Kurai muttered.

*STOMP!*

"Iteeeeeeeeeeeeeee!"

"Oh, Kurai… you don't change one bit, do you?" Melissa–sempai said as L'Arachel showed us the Sacred Stone she held in her hands.

"Its glorious radiance suits my complexion, wouldn't you say?" L'Arachel said as Mikoto's eyes were shining brightly.

"So pre~tty!" Mikoto said as she slowly extended her hand, wanting to grab the stone off from L'Arachel's grasp.

"Mikoto-chan, dame desu!" Akira scolded, slapping her hand making her recoil her hand back.

"Ah, mou~~~~~~!" Mikoto whined.

"Honestly, if there's something shiny, she'll definitely go after it…" Amber sighed.

"Look at it this way; at least we've got the last Stone to defeat the Demon King…" Storm added.

"Yes, and it is our last hope to do so…" Ephraim noted.

"It is. And the time to defeat the Demon King draws near." L'Arachel said determined.

"We should be leaving now." I suggested. "We have to act before those creatures gain more momentum and not to mention the strength of the Demon King is powering up as we speak…"

"Yes. We should make haste." Myrrh agreed. "The poison spreads. It is growing ever stronger."

"Where to?" Ephraim asked.

"Darkling Woods… Where the Demon King fell…" Myrrh answered.

"And the place where Riev is waiting for us…" L'Arachel added.

"Leaving so soon _already_?" A voice asked. We all turned around to see Pontifex Mansel walking towards us. "You have just returned home L'Arachel, and you must leave now?" He asked.

"Uncle, defeating evil is the highest calling I can perform." L'Arachel told him, but Mansel was having doubts.

"Of course, my dear. It is a divine calling, but…"

"Do not worry." L'Arachel assured him. "I am not doing this alone. I have friends by my side."

Pontifex Mansel looked at us and saw that all of us had a smile on our faces, determined to win this battle as Kurai just looked away with a small smirk on his smile. Pontifex Mansel sighed in relief. "I see. You've been blessed, L'Arachel. Blessed with many good friends." he said with a smile.

"I am indeed, Uncle. And they, in turn, are blessed with me!" L'Arachel exclaimed.

"I was wondering about th–" Kurai spoke before I elbowed his side, making him twitch.

"Let her have her moment…" I told him, which Kurai scoffed at.

L'Arachel went to her uncle and gave him a hug of assurance. "Farewell, Uncle. I shall return. Once evil has been vanquished, we'll all return safe and sound." she promised him before the two of them broke the hug. Two of his assistants then approached us with items that were covered in white cloths.

"Before you go, I have something that will help you." Mansel said as his assistants unwrapped the cloths to reveal a white and gold tome with an insignia of a sun and a gold staff with a blue gem orb on top with a pair of angel wings on the tip of the staff, below the orb.

"Aren't those–" L'Arachel began.

"Yes, the Sacred Twins of Rausten. Ivaldi, the Glorious Light, and the Staff of St. Latona himself." Mansel answered. "Normally, by law they are to never to leave the temple, except during an ascension ceremony, but since this is needed for savng the world, perhaps just this once, we can make this odd exception."

"That's my Uncle!" L'Arachel exclaimed as both of his assistants handed the Sacred Weapons to her. "I'll put it to good use!"

"I know, dear niece… but you will return them, of course… once you've finished your task." he reminded her before looking at Eirika. "Princess Eirika, I would have your oath on this."

"Of course. You have my word. We shall return safely, and we shall restore your relics." Eirika promised.

"Oh, there is one more thing I would like to give it to you, Legendary Rider…" he said as he approached to me, open up a book he held, and handed me a… Vanity Card? "I noticed from the transformation you have used and this card isn't like any others… maybe you will put it to good use…" Mansel said while handing me a Common Blank, written in a language where only us Riders knew but the strangest thing of them all, the only picture on this card was none other than a whirlpool… and that's just plain weird…

"Proto… type?" I got out.

"Prototype? What's that supposed to mean?" Storm asked me, which surprised Mansel.

"You can read what was written on the card?!" Mansel exclaimed.

"Yes. It's our language back in our world." I answered.

"I see… I guess I'll leave that card to you, then…" Mansel said. Still, I have no idea what its usage is…

"Well, will you look at that? Another card that hasn't appeared in the series…" Storm got out.

"A Prototype card? I wonder it does." Akira wondered.

"Don't know. We'll figure it out once we get into battle." I said. "Alright then, let's move out!"

* * *

_As the rest of the group were packing their stuff waiting for the arrival of the Riders and the royals from the temple, Vanessa took her time to approach her sister as she had something in mind. "Hi, Sis… thanks for the talk on the other day…" Vanessa said, gaining Syrene's attention._

_"Think nothing of it." Syrene sincerely smiled. "Are you feeling better now?"_

_"Well…" Vanessa said scratching her cheek before looking at her sister. "It's not that easy, but I quit comparing myself with you." _

_Syrene understood what her little sister tried to tell her. "You might not know this, but there's something about you I've always envied."_

_"About _me_?" Vanessa blinked. "What do you mean?"_

_"You have an inner fortitude that I will _never_ be able to match." Syrene said bluntly._

_"Inner… fortitude?" Vanessa said confused as Syrene let out a sigh._

_"Do you remember when Father collapsed?" Syrene asked, as Vanessa tried to recall. "Mother and I were so panicked that we didn't know _what_ to do. You were the youngest of us all, but you gathered nuts in your small hands and went to the village to sell them. Then you came home with medicine for him…" Syrene explained._

_"Well, I don't know what to say." Vanessa said quite shocked._

_"When you face a difficult circumstance, your true self emerges." Syrene further explained. "You were very young, but had the presence of mind and ingenuity to help Father. You comforted me and Mother, and you rescued Father. I've always respected your strength, and wished for some of it myself." she said slightly envious._

_"But… _you_ were the one who joined the Knights at such an early age, and it was _you_ who supported our family." Vanessa replied back._

"_I emulated your strength. I wanted to support my family like _you_ did. It's _always_ been my goal. And I respect you more than anyone else. I wish you could be as confident in yourself as I am of you. No matter what, you'll _always_ be all right." Syrene assured Vanessa._

_Vanessa thought about this. "All right, then. I have to tell you! The person I love is–" Before she could even finish her sentence, Syrene immediately covered her mouth with her hand, leaving Vanessa confused by her sister's action._

_"Wait, Vanessa!" Syrene exclaimed. "Wait until the war is over to tell me." Syrene interrupted as she slowly removed her hand from her little sister's mouth. "When everything is over, bring him home. I'll go home a little ahead of you, and wait for you two with Father and Mother. We'll make your favorite meal… Is _that_ enough to convince you?"_

_"Sis…" Vanessa let out before she approached her sister and gave her a hug. "Yes. I'll do my best… For this war and also for him."_

_"That's my girl." Syrene said delighted. "Don't worry. You'll be all right."_

* * *

And so with a farewell from Mansel, we departed Rausten Court and went towards Darkling Woods. It was the very place where the Demon King Fomortiis thanks to the Great Dragon and the Riders of the past. I was in the caravan with Eirika, with me sitting down Indian style and her sitting on my lap with her head resting on my shoulder. We're just enjoying each other's company.

"Heh, will you look at that? It's about _time_ those two are getting mushy–mushy on each other…" Kurai spoke.

"Leave them alone, Kurai… the flowers have bloomed _beautifully_ among us throughout the journey." Melissa–sempai said kindly.

"Yes, I agree with you, Melissa. Everyone has created bonds throughout the journey, a bond that can _never_ be separated…" Natasha spoke.

"Yeah, and besides, if it wasn't for this war, _none_ of this would've happened in the _first_ place…" Joshua added.

"I agree with you, big bro." Akira nodded.

"Yeah! Me too!" Mikoto agreed.

"But too bad, though… once this is over… we Riders have to get back home." Kurai pointed out. Darn it, Kurai! Why do you have to raise that part up!

"Oh… that's right…" Natasha said immediately feeling down about it. "When it is all over… we'll _never_ see each other again…"

"Natasha, don't say that…" Melissa–sempai consoled. "I know this might sound a little bit rude, but sooner or later, these things have to happen…" The rest of the group inside the caravan was also feeling gloomy about it.

"But… I was getting _used_ to this world…" Akira said.

"Yeah… and we've made a lot of good friends along the way…" Mikoto noted.

"Well, we gotta wake up and smell the coffee. I know this is gonna be rude, but this is just how it supposed to be… don't get me wrong, it's not like I _hate_ this place or anything, but… well… I just… don't know what to say…" Kurai said as he continued to lead one of the caravans.

Everyone was silent. No one said a word for a while until I spoke up. "Well we don't have to worry about that _now_. I mean it's not like as soon as we beat Fomortiis, a portal suddenly appears immediately _after_ that."

"Yeah… I guess so… there's _gotta_ be a hidden trick or something… heck, there's probably even a possibility of not being able to return home at all…" Joshua said trying to lighten up the mood.

"I'm sure whatever it is, no matter how long we've been together, I've always enjoyed it ever single moment." Melissa–sempai said in a happily.

"Yeah, me too." Akira agreed. "I won't _ever_ forget this journey we've been through together."

"At least it's been interesting." Kurai added.

* * *

_While the group was having the discussion, Amelia noticed Amber was annoyed for some reason. "Amber, is there something bothering you?"_

_"That no good, Kurogasa! He had the nerve to tell me to ride on her horse while he gets all mushy–mushy with Eirika!" Amber complained._

_"What's the problem with_ that_?" Tana asked._

_"She's just annoyed for not being able to tease those two lately, that's all…" Storm explained._

_"Oh…" Tana and Amelia replied in unison._

_"Anyhow, we better make a move on! The Darkling Woods is our next destination!" Amber said lightening up the mood._

_"Yep, let's go!" Storm replied back._

* * *

_Meanwhile in Darkling Woods, Evil Lyon appeared in a flash of light arriving at some sort of temple. _**"Ah, yes the Black Temple, where my bones of old have been laid to rest. Soon I will be back in my body and this mortal's body will be sacrificed for my return."**_ A man with short brown hair and beard, wearing a brown robe and mantle noticed the presence of a dark figure as he slowly approached towards Evil Lyon. _**"A moment more and my rebirth will be unstoppable–irreversible. None remain who can stop me now!"**

_"So, you've returned, _have_ you?" the figure said to Evil Lyon, catching the latter's attention._

_"Hm?"_

_"You can clothe yourself in human flesh, but you cannot hide your foul mien. Eight hundred years wasn't long enough, Demon King." the figure spoke, making Evil Lyon laugh._

**"Hehehehehehehe…"**_ Evil Lyon chuckled. _**"It's only a matter of time before my resurrection is at hand. Once I revive, not you or the legendary Riders can stop me! Hahahahahahahaha!"**

_"As long as humanity still have hope, you will not being able to resurrect from your slumber…" the figure spoke as wings grew behind him._

**"One of the dragonkin, hm? Ah. I've seen your face before, lizard. Yes, during that accursed battle so long ago. When those wretched men bound me in their fetters. They fought with an ally from the dragonkin at their side? I believe his name was Morva." **Evil Lyon recalled.

_"The protection of the blessed stones is lost. The dark is rising. Malevolence given will and form now walks these lands unopposed. Ancient king of shadows, they appear to be waiting for you." Morva analyzed._

**"Very perceptive."**_ Evil Lyon began. "_**And now I am here. I **_**must**_** tell them their wait is over. I **_**must**_** tell them I have been reborn. Begone, dragon. I am changed. I can no longer be stopped by the likes of you **_**or**_** those foolish Legendary Riders!"**_ Evil Lyon threatened as his malicious aura grew._

_"I live and breathe to protect mankind. I cannot abandon them to you. Now, as it once did so long ago, these woods will witness your defeat." Morva said firmly._

**"So, your dragon blood still runs so hot that you would dare to try to stop me, dragon?"**_ Evil Lyon asked anticipating this. _**"That reminds me… Not long back, I fought a rabble of men who traveled with a dragon child. Tell me, Morva, was that your daughter?" **_Evil Lyon smirked, making Morva surprised by the new information._

_"Myrrh left this place long ago to test the limits of your influence. Could she have…?" Morva pondered._

**"Could she have what? Pray, continue."**_ Evil Lyon continued._

_"_You_ will answer me. Your reply will determine your fate…" Morva said as he held his Dragonstone and when the stone glowed, he transformed into a rather large dragon._

**"Hahahahaha! Such information had no use to you now! You have dared to challenge **_**me**_**? You have no time for joy or sorrow. No, best to focus now on this: the moment of your death. I would **_**hate**_** for you to miss it…"**_ Evil Lyon said as he fought with the dragon._

* * *

"Well, here we are. Darkling Woods." I said as everyone got off from the caravan, looking at the view in front of us.

"This is quite creepy, I admit…" Gerik got out.

"Blech, what happened around here anyways?" Amber asked.

"All of the trees are… black…" Marisa noticed.

"This awful darkness…" Ephraim got out.

"The poison… it spreads very fast. We _must_ hurry." Myrrh urged. "Beyond those trees is the Black Temple where the Demon King's bones rest. But we must be cautious as well. The trees are very thick and armed with many thorns and thistles. It's a natural protection against invaders who try to enter. And going through these trees to get to the Black Temple will take half a day."

"You _heard_ her, guys… proceed with caution…" Forde smiled before the whole group continued to venture forward.

"So, _this_ is Darkling Woods…" Seth began. "It was here the Legendary Riders met the Demon King and with their sacrifice to become the Sacred Stones in order to defeat him. I've heard the lingering energies of that battle are the _source_ of the monster. But I never imagined it would be as bad as _this_…" he added.

"Yes. This darkness alone is so… overwhelming." L'Arachel agreed.

"I agree, L'Arachel…" Eirika said as she also moved on foot, staying close to me.

"This place gives me the heebie jeebies around here…" Amber muttered as she had goosebumps on her arm.

"Reminds me of a haunted house… well, only being more realistic, that's all…" Storm added. "What do _you_ think, buddy?"

"Yeah, creepy…" I muttered. We continued to walk through the woods while getting ourselves pricked by the thorns and thistles along the way, with some of our clothes being stuck to the thorns and tear a little bit of our clothing, including some of the girls, mainly those that have skirts on, to my dismay.

"The further we enter through this place, the more thorns we have to deal with…" Vanessa said as she continued to pull her skirt off from the thorns.

"This is getting annoying…" Mikoto said as her lower part of her dress were now filled with little thorns.

"You boys better not look what's under the skirt if you guys found any chances!" Amber told us.

"Just how far _is_ this place anyways?" Kurai complained as he and Joshua cut more thorns for the Sisters to make way as some parts of their dresses were already torn up, especially on the middle part of their dresses.

"After we crossed this path, there will be an open field to move on…" Myrrh explained to us.

"Can't I just burn this forest with my superior flames?" Lute offered.

"And burn all of _us_ to death? I don't think so." Akira sweat dropped.

"Oh… haven't thought _that_ far…" Lute added.

"Geez, these thorns always catch on my mantle, teacher!" Ewan complained as Saleh had no trouble moving amongst the area.

As we continued on, one of the thorns caught onto Eirika's skirt, making her skirt uh… flip up, I think? And I believe I caught a glimpse of her underwear underneath her skirt. Noticing the predicament, she immediately turned around; having her hands covering the back of her skirt while having a slight blush. "Y–You didn't see it, did you, Kurogasa?"

"NO!" I answered too quickly, blushing heavily.

"Mmmmmmmmm?" Amber asked furrowing her brows while looking at me, leaning forward with her arms crossed. "Then why is your face all red huh?"

"W–What are you talking about?! Like I said before, I didn't see it!" I said getting all worked up.

"You might _say_ you didn't see it, but your expression says otherwise…" Amber said as she had that cheeky smirk on her face.

"I'm telling you I didn't!" I snapped. "Stop teasing me!"

"I'm not teasing with ya'! I'm just stating the obvious!" Amber shouted, not having a care in the world as she purposely let other group members hear what her opinion was.

"Kurogasa saw WHAT?!" Mikoto panicked.

"Oh dear… such a bold move…" Melissa–sempai sweat dropped.

"But it seems like he's over the edge…' Natasha added.

"K–Kurogasa… y–you aren't being a p–pervert, are you?" Neimi stuttered.

"Something tells me we should be aware around this man…" Syrene said.

"Agreed, sister…" Vanessa added.

"Wow, Kurogasa _sure_ is brave one…" Tana said with a slight blush as Eirika couldn't help but have a bigger blush than before.

"We should be careful around him next time we were off–guard…" Lute analyzed.

"…" Marisa stayed quiet but her glare sent the message clear. She wanted to kill me.

"Who would've thought the Legendary Rider has also this kind of thought?" Tethys smiled cheekily as Myrrh continued moving onward without even looking back.

"Um… I think the girls are against you, buddy…" Storm pointed out the obvious...

I then went to a tree and crouched down playing with the dirt with my finger imagining purple lines over my head. "Ok fine, I'll admit it. I _did_ see it. But it was an accident. I didn't mean it. I'm so sorry. Please don't kill me…" I apologized, completely in shame and humiliation.

"There, isn't that better?" Amber said happily as Eirika slowly approached me and putted her hand on my shoulder.

"I–It's okay… I already k–know it was j–just an accident… I–I forgive you, Kurogasa…" Eirika stuttered while trying to calm me down.

"Tch… a Rider who makes a confession after he finally admits it once he's against the wall… what an eyesore…" Kurai muttered out before he continued to cut down more thorns for making way for the group to venture on.

* * *

I stayed behind the rest of the group as I was still blushing red in shame and humiliation. "Relax, lad. Things just happen. You weren't expecting it, that's all…" Gerik smiled, trying to calm me down.

"I know. Still, I'm no pervert." I mumbled. "I got morals…"

"Gwah ha, ha! Don't worry about it, lad! We boys understand what you're trying to say!" Dolza said jovially.

"At least you have admitted it than keep on denying it, Mr. Rider. And that's a _good_ thing." L'Arachel said as she slowed down her horse to keep on my pace. "I'm sure the other girls will forgive you for the unintended sin you committed."

"I don't know…" I mumbled. "Maybe Eirika, Tana, Natasha, you, and Sempai maybe, but I don't know about the _other_ girls…"

"You worry too much! Just let me handle this!" L'Arachel said delightfully before she moved onward.

"Gwah ha, ha! That's Princess L'Arachel for ya! Always knows how to handle things" Dolza said.

"So…" Rennac spoke and asked me something I didn't see coming at all from him. "What color is it?"

"SHUT UP RENNAC!"

* * *

As we continue to go through the maze of thorns, most of us on foot were having difficulty on walking due to the condition of the road. The Falcon Knights, Pegasus Knight, Wyvern Lord and Knight, decided to bring one person at a time to an open field, as Myrrh suggested it while the rest of the heavy units continued to venture forth until we've reached the end safely along with our caravan in toll. Along the way, L'Arachel came back to me, and told me that the girls forgive me for my unintended peeking on Eirika's panty. At first I was in disbelief, but she assured me about it and I saw in her eyes that she was truthful, so I guess it's all good now. But anyways, I was reviewing about the Sacred Stone tale. According to the legend of this tale, after the Riders sacrificed themselves to defeat Fomortiis, the Demon King was sealed in Grado's Sacred Stone, and the Joker Undead was sealed in a stone slab, making sure the latter could never be unsealed again. With four stones destroyed, only one is left for stopping the restoration of the Demon King and Joker Undead; up to the point of stopping them from becoming Jaishin–14. Myrrh also pointed out that the Demon King's remains and the slab of the Joker Undead was still there, waiting for their revival. If the last stone is crushed, sure, we can seal Joker Undead with a Proper Blank, but it would take _more_ than just a Proper Blank to seal up the Demon King, hence the reason why the Sacred Stone plays an important role.

"FINALLY! Out of that spiky place!" Colm sighed in relief after navigating the caravan.

"Yeah, and look at the land… it's… purple…" Akira pointed out.

"And the place smells yucky too…" Mikoto said disgusted.

"Myrrh _did_ say this place is where his blood spills on the ground anyways…" Ephraim reminded her.

"D–Did you just say… b–blood?" Amber stuttered as her whole body shook from hearing that word.

"Yes, what's wrong with it?' Ephraim said as Amber suddenly had the urge to vomit, before Storm helped her out. "Something I said?" Ephraim blinked.

"Amber has hemophobia; the fear of blood." I answered.

"Really? I thought she looked fine…" Ephraim added.

"That's because the thorns were covering her view from seeing the ground and once she knew this land is a place where the ground is filled with blood, her fear acts up… even that lake looks like blood anyways…" I said while looking at the nearby lake and saw it was in purplish red, the Demon King's blood.

"Oh… I guess she'll be out of commission until we've reached the Black Temple, is it?" Ephraim asked me as he saw her being brought onto the caravan by Storm, who tried to calm her down as she clutched onto him tightly after her vomit.

"Exactly." I answered.

"Huh? Hey look! Something's happening in that pool!" Ewan cried out as we all looked to see the lake of blood beginning to boil violently for some reason.

"Uh–oh, guys! Be on guard!" I shouted as everyone did get on their guard. The lake of blood continued bubbling violently until a geyser of the stuff shot up into the sky for a few seconds until a rather large… claw of a dragon came out?!

"A… A dragon?" Ewan asked confused while looking at it, as slowly, the head, body, then wings of a decayed dragon emerged from the bloody river and let out a roar.

"Everyone, be on guard!" I shouted but to our surprise, it didn't attack us or anything… but instead, it flapped its wings and flew towards another direction, much to our confusion.

"Okaaaay, what just happen?" Akira blinked.

"Beats me. I think that dragon chickened out…" Kurai muttered.

"Oh yeah, then explain why that dragon is coming back towards us?!" Mikoto freaked out. We were confused about it until we heard a roar from the decayed dragon and noticed it was calling out, smaller versions of itself flying towards us.

"Father…" Myrrh said sensing something about the rather large dragon.

"Yes, Lady Myrrh. I sense him as well…" Saleh informed.

"Uh… kids, you might wanna check what's at the front…" Kurai pointed out before we saw a group of large Cyclops, wights and rather large spiders heading towards our direction.

"Could this get any better than _this_?" Forde complained.

"Well, let's not make it any worse! Riders! Let's go!" I shouted.

"It's about time…" Kurai said as he, Melissa–sempai, Akira, and Mikoto stood next to me while Storm jumped out from the caravan after hearing the call.

"We're one member short for now… Tethys will take care of Amber…" Storm informed me.

"Alright then… ikuzo!" I said. The Riders excluding Amber placed our buckles on and had our Change Ace cards out.

"Henshin!"

**TURN/OPEN UP**

**CHANGE**

Six holograms conjured out from our belts and pulled back towards our direction until we were donned in our Rider Form. "Without big sis to take out the airborne monsters, it would be hard for us to take them down… especially those rather large Dragon Zombies…" Akira deducted.

"Then, what should we do?" Mikoto asked.

"We continue to press onward; towards those monsters at the front." Ephraim ordered.

"Glaive, here." Storm said as he handed her the Trial A card to her. "You're gonna need this to take down those flying dragons up there."

"Sweet! Just what I need!" Glaive chirped as she took the card. "This way, I can 'dance' with them until they drop dead!"

**TRIAL… A**

"Sempai! Let's freeze them off 'til they drop dead!" Glaive said to Leangle, as the latter got worried.

"Um…"

"Go ahead. With Glaive's hyper–activeness, things should be alright…" Chalice told her handing her the Float Dragonfly card before she nodded and took the card to rouse it onto her Rouzer.

**FLOAT**

"Please, be careful, everyone…" Leangle told us before she, Glaive, the Wyvern Knight, Lord, Falcon Knights, and Pegasus Knight took off to the sky.

"Alright. In the meantime, we kill these monsters on land!" Chalice said.

"Let's do this then, big bro!" Garren urged.

"Ready, buddy?" Lance asked.

"You bet! Ikuzo!" I said then we all charged towards the monsters.

* * *

_At the Black Temple, the said large dragon landed right in front of the gate, and Riev chuckled, seeing his master's latest creation right in front of him. Evil Lyon has defeated Morva in his Dragon form, now nowhere to be seen. Evil Lyon chuckled too before he shifted his attention to the heretic bishop. _**"Riev… I'm leaving this to you."**

_"Heh, heh, heh… As you wish. Please proceed with the rites of resurrection, sire." Riev bowed with full respect before Evil Lyon entered the Black Temple, Riev looking at the obedient decayed Dragon. "Heh, heh, heh… Soon… soon… It happens soon! The Demon King will be restored to all his former glory! And I, his faithful servant, will bask in his radiant power… Then, oh, then I will have my revenge on those who scorned me!" he muttered. "The Demon King has created for me a fine weapon– a draco zombie! This fierce beast and I will guard the Black Temple's entrance. As long as we stand watch, no one will interrupt his rituals. We will drown all who dare approach in this virulent mud! Heh, heh, heh… Heh, heh, heh, heh, heh!"_

* * *

_The Demon King walked further into the depths of the temple until he reached the center of it, a stone slab being displayed. _**"Ah… the Joker Undead. It's been a while hasn't it."**_ Evil Lyon chuckled. _**"Do not worry, you'll be free from your prison soon and join forces with me so we can destroy this rule this world with chaos and darkness! Hahahahahahahahahahaha!"**

* * *

**KICK**

**THUNDER**

**MACH**

The holograms of Kick Locust, Thunder Deer, and Mach Jaguar entered my armor.

**LIGHTNING SONIC**

As the world in front of me slowed in motion, I picked up the pace, taking a big leap, before delivering a stronger version of Lightning Blast directly onto a cyclops's chest, creating a hole on it before it tumbled down, dropping its club from trying to attack Eirika. "Thank you…" Eirika thanked me.

"No problem." I answered.

**BULLET**

**RAPID**

**FIRE**

The holograms of Bullet Armadillo, Rapid Pecker, and Fire Fly entered Garren's armor.

**BURNING SHOT**

"Eat this!" Garren shouted as he shot out a volley of fireballs onto the large spiders hitting their targets and the spider shrieked an ear–piercing screech of pain, being burned alive.

"Oh shut up!" Chalice said having enough before he roused two cards onto his Rouzer.

**BIO**

**CHOP**

With Bio Plant and Chop Hammerhead entering into his armor, vines shot out and tied onto their legs, arranging them in stacks before Chalice ran towards a bent tree, continuing to run on it before he made a big leap having his chop ready while holding his Arrow on his other hand. "SUPER~ DAI SETSUDAN!" he yelled out before he chopped down ten burning spiders in a row, chopping them all in half before green fountains of spider blood gushed out from them.

"It's a good thing Amber's already out cold…" Kyle noted.

"Yeah, if not, she'll be _definitely_ in coma…" Forde mentioned before the two held their swords against the Wights.

Seth calmly walked towards the enemy in front of him as one of the Cyclops tried to cleave down its axe onto him, which he easily sidestepped. He quickly rushed to its legs, slashing its tendons, making it kneel down in pain before Marisa and Gerik dashed towards it, doing a few deadly slashes on its body before Seth finished it off with a stab on its eye, killing it.

"Weak…" Marisa commented before she flicked the blood off from her Shamshir before looking forward. "More of them…"

"Yeah, and they're not letting up…" Gerik muttered.

"Then we have to press onward…" Seth said to them as he noticed Ross and Garcia running towards them with their axes in hand.

"Let's follow their examples then…" Gerik smirked before he rested his sword on his shoulder. "C'mon, Marisa, let's feed your blade more with their blood!"

"Yes, Chief!" Marisa responded.

Innes shot out three arrows in one shot, killing three Gargoyles that were in the sky as Neimi assisted him with her _own_ shots. "Make sure they're not close to the aerial fighters, Neimi! Especially to my sister!" Innes said sternly.

"Y–Yes, Prince!" Neimi replied back.

"I'll be sure to keep our promise, Tana. We'll be returning home together…" Innes said as he recalled his memory from Rausten Court.

* * *

**Flashback**

_At that time, both siblings were having another quarrel about Tana's safety. "Oh, Innes! Why can't you understand!?" Tana shouted at him._

_"Why can't you listen to your brother for once, Tana? Why are you always so stubborn!?" Innes scolded back._

_"_YOU'RE_ the stubborn one, Innes! Why can't you understand how I feel?" Tana countered back, making him surprised from her sudden rebel. "You're my only brother, and I have no one else on whom I can rely… I don't want to waste our time together arguing!"_

_"Tana…" Innes got realizing it as Tana looked down sadly._

_"You don't know how much I envy Eirika and Ephraim about their closeness…" she began. "They understand one another's thoughts and feelings perfectly _all_ the time! Why aren't we like that? Why do you never understand me, Innes?" she added as she was about to run away, only to have Innes hold her arm. "Let go of me, brother!"_

_"Tana, wait. I don't say these things because I hate you." Innes said._

_"That's a lie! You're _always_ so mean to me, Innes! You make _no_ effort to understand how I feel." Tana shouted back as she tried to pull her arm from his grip._

_"That's _not_ true. I'm _still_ your brother, and I think I know you better than anyone else." Innes said less harshly before letting go of her arm._

_Tana turned around and looked at him as her tears still flowed out from her eyes. "…Do you mean that, Innes?"_

_"Absolutely." Innes replied as he wiped off her tears with his hand. "Do you remember the incident with the crown?"_

_Tana tried to recall until it hit her. "Oh! I remember. It was when I was very little, and I lost Father's crown. He was _so_ angry with me. I thought he would _never_ stop yelling. I was so terrified of his wrath, and I just couldn't stop crying. I honestly believed Father would throw me in the dungeon! But you searched the castle from top to bottom, and you found the crown. And I remember what you told Father when you brought it back to him: "I took your crown, Father. I wanted to see what it would look like on my head." I remember how happy I was when I heard Father laughing at your words. I thought I was the luckiest girl in the world to have a brother like you." Tana said happily, as Innes let out a small smile._

_"I know how you feel better than anyone else. And that's no lie."_

_"Innes…" Tana got out before she hugged him, much to his surprise. "I understand now why you said what you said. But please, forgive me for being here, for not going home. I simply wanted to be near you, my beloved brother."_

_After hearing that, in the end, Innes sighed at this. "…You win. I'll let you stay. But you be sure to apologize to our father when we return home. And don't worry too much. I'll be there with you when you do."_

_"Really?" Tana asked which he nodded. She couldn't help but hug her brother tighter than ever. "I love you, Innes! You're the best brother anyone could have!"_

_"And you are quite a handful, Sister." Innes said as he patted her head._

**End Flashback**

* * *

"I'll be _sure_ we'll be returning home safely…" Innes said before he shot out some more arrows at the sky, hitting the Gargoyles with precise attack.

"Dolza, take out that fiend for me!" L'Arachel commanded her berserker.

"Gwah ha, ha! Your wish is my command, Princess L'Arachel!" Dolza said happily as he started to chase towards the incoming wave of Wights.

"And why are _you_ still here, Rennac? You should help him out!" L'Arachel complained.

"Nuh–uh, no way I'm helping him _or_ you out!" Rennac disobeyed. "Not until you promise to pay me 50,000 Gold when this war is over!"

"Fine, fine…" L'Arachel waved it off as if it was nothing. "You can asked for my Uncle for such large sum of payment or whatever value you want, but let me warn you this…" she said as she casted a light spell and burned out a Wight that carried a lance with it before she looked at Rennac again. "If my Uncle saw me had one, just _one_ scratch on me, your pay will deduct from your current price! Do I make myself clear?" she smiled.

"Fine…" Rennac muttered and then went to do some killing.

* * *

**RUSH**

**BLIZZARD**

**POISON**

_"With these three cards, it should do the trick…" Leangle said to herself before the three holograms appeared behind her and were absorbed into her armor._

**BLIZZARD VENOM**

_With Float to help her fly with ease, the Rush card helped her outmaneuver the Draco Zombie that lets out a wretched breath towards her. She was able to stab her Rouzer onto its back, spreading the icy venom, slowly freezing it. The venom then spread onto its wings, making it unable to fly before it plunged down towards the ground, shattering into pieces as Joshua and Colm were able to dodge it in time and surprising Natasha._

_"Hey, be careful with the delivery!" Joshua shouted at the sky before he got into a defensive stance, protected Natasha from the Wights._

_"Yeah, you nearly dropped it on us!" Colm shouted back before he used his daggers to slash out another spear–wielding Wight from attacking Father Moulder._

_"Sorry…" Leangle cringed._

**MIGHTY**

_"Hey, I'm over here!" Glaive playfully taunted one of the Draco Zombie before she started slashing on it, causing it to shriek in pain before it tried to whip her with its tail. "No, I'm over here!" she teased again and the dragon now tried to chomp her up, but missed again before she countered back with a strong slash on its mouth. "Miss me, miss me, now you gotta drop dead!" she said in a sing–a–long tone before she went towards its wings, cutting them off. The Draco Zombie cried out in pain before plunging towards where Lute, Artur, Saleh, Knoll and Ewan would be as the five magic users saw it was falling towards them. They immediately casted a spell to split the zombie into chunks, spreading it towards the Wights, thus creating a barrier._

_"Hey~! Watch where you drop that thing!" Ewan shouted at her._

_"Sorry, kiddo." Glaive cringed too._

_"But on the upside, this gives us some defense from them…" Artur pondered._

_"The big dragon right in front us should delay their advance towards our direction…" Saleh said before he casted a Light spell onto the surrounding Wight, destroying them in the process._

_"I _knew_ burning down this whole forest would be a great idea in the first place…" Lute muttered to herself._

_"We're not having you kill us all in the process…" Knoll muttered._

_"It's the only solution I can think of…" Lute told him before she conjured another fireball spell onto the enemy._

* * *

_Meanwhile, as Amelia and Franz galloped to the front to make way for them to clear the road, General Duessel rushed towards her direction, surprising her as Franz continued to clear the path. "Oh, Amelia. I've found you!"_

_"General Duessel. What's the matter?" Amelia asked._

_"There's something I'd like to ask– No, something I'd like to _tell_ you." Duessel corrected himself._

_"Er, all right. What _is_ it?" Amelia asked him._

_"I've been asking myself… where I have seen you before ever since we departed from Jehanna and it _did_ take a while for me to figure it out… until recently at Rausten Court when you had a small discussion with Franz regarding your missing mother…"_

_"Oh…" Amelia got out._

_"…your mother's name is Melina, correct?" Duessel asked, surprising Amelia._

_"…my mother…" Amelia said stunned as Duessel kept silent to himself. "My mother's name _is_… Melina."_

_"And what happened to her?" Duessel asked._

_"When I was just a child, she was stolen away by bandits. My father had already passed away, so I was totally…" Amelia got out as she sniffled._

_"I wonder what General Duessel and Amelia are talking about in the middle of a battlefield?" Franz asked himself before he slain another Wight down._

_"Your mother is _actually_ alright…" Duessel began, surprising the young Great Knight. "It happened a few years back. I was leading a patrol near the Grado border. We unexpectedly rode up on a group of bandits, and a battle ensued. When we had taken care of the bandits, we rescued a lone female captive. We figured she had been taken from some village, but she was in shock. In fact, her distress was so great, she had forgotten much about herself. Her body was in such a weakened state that she could barely walk. We felt such pity for her that we took her to a peaceful village we knew of. There, we set up a home for her where she could recover and live quietly. Some years later, she was restored to her former vitality. Slowly, she began to recall the lost memories of her past. Only recently did she remember that she had once had a daughter. I took time off from my duties and visited the village where she had lived. But the villagers told me her daughter had left the village some time ago. With no clues as to the girl's whereabouts, I'd almost given up hope of finding her. And then, in the strangest of places…"_

_"M–My mother is… _truly_ alive?!" Amelia said shocked._

_"Yes, she actually is alive. I see Melina's face reflected in your own. There's no mistake. Isn't it wonderful, Amelia?" the old knight told her as Amelia was tearing up._

_It was then Franz approached her. "Amelia, what's the matter?" he asked her before Amelia suddenly buried her face onto his chest, surprising the latter._

_"Oh, Franz! My mother… she's alive!" Amelia cried out as Franz couldn't help but feel happy for her happiness._

_"I, uh, I'm so happy for you, Amelia…" Duessel said before he sniffled a few times. "Oh, no. Old age must have loosened these dry, old tear ducts…"_

* * *

_"Aim for their wings!" Glen commanded his brother before Cormag flew towards the dragon with his brother together. Avoiding the wretched breath of the dragon, the two immediately slashed the fiend's wings away with ease before it plunged down towards its death on the ground. Even Myrrh assisted them as she changed into a Dragon, taking flight before spewing the flames onto a Draco Zombie, burning it to cinder before Tana and Vanessa used their swords to cut the fiend's wings swiftly, making it drop towards the lake._

_"At least we've controlled on where they should fall…" Leangle got out._

_"Yeah…" Mikoto added._

_As the aerial units have taken care of all of the Draco Zombies at the sky, Syrene looked at the ground and noticed Gilliam having a difficult time handling a Cyclops on his own, even up to the point where his long lance was dented from Cyclops' continuous strikes on it. "Gilliam! I'll be right there!" she shouted as she led her Pegasus towards his direction._

_Gilliam heard the shout and the neigh of her Pegasus, surprising him. "Syrene! Don't be a hero!" he shouted at her before she left a cut on the Cyclops' shoulder, before he tripped down from a stone behind him, making him fall on his back. Even before the Cyclops can land an ax on him, Seth joined in and cut away its arms and both Ephraim and Lance finished it off with a stab on its head, killing the Cyclops with ease, and it fell to the ground like a log before the two dashed forward. Syrene landed her Pegasus next to him and immediately dismounted, kneeling down next to Gilliam, looking concerned._

_"Gilliam, are you alright?!" Syrene asked a bit panicked as Gilliam managed to sit up and look at her._

_"Yes, I'm fine…" he told her._

_"…Gilliam, you're _always_ telling me to be careful… You know full well I watch over everyone. It's what I do. But _you_… _You're_ the one who always watches over _me_ before… and I wanted to help you back by assisting you as well…" Syrene told him._

_"Syrene…"_

_"You know why I immediately came to your aid? Just to hear you say that." she told him, leaving him in silence. "Gilliam?"_

_"Is that… _all_ you want to hear me say?" Gilliam got out as he took her hand, surprising her._

_"What do you–?"_

_"Syrene… When this war is over…" Gilliam said as he remembered what Melissa told him to do when he asked about a problem he had the other day, which was to follow his feelings. In the end, he had only one thing in mind to respond to her. "…Let's get married."_

_"Gilliam!" Syrene said surprised as she blushed._

_"Don't answer now. When this war is over… When we get back to Frelia… Wait until then, will you? Wait until then to tell me." Gilliam said as he slowly stood up with the assist of his bent lance and Syrene stood up too._

_"Gilliam… You needn't wait _that_ long. You already _know_ my answer." Syrene confessed before her expression changed to a determined look. "…But if that is what you want, Gilliam, then yes! …I _will_ wait until the war is over before I give my answer! Gilliam… let's win this war… together." she told him._

_"Syrene… yes, let's do so…" Gilliam said before he immediately rushed forward and Syrene mounted on her Pegasus, moving together with him side by side._

* * *

So we've managed to take down a lot of these monsters down. Now it's time to take out the large decayed dragon. "Okay… how are we supposed to handle something _that _huge?" Storm asked me.

"Even with combined magic, this would be difficult to face…" L'Arachel said.

"Then… what should we _do_? If we cannot take down the large decayed dragon, we cannot enter the Black Temple…" Eirika said worried.

"There's _gotta_ be a way to clear up that mess… and you need to preserve your energy for sudden appearance of the Demon King, Kurogasa…" Ephraim spoke before we heard a chuckle at our direction.

"Heh, heh, heh… you have arrived…" Riev smirked.

"Riev!" L'Arachel growled.

"And what's this? The Princess of Rausten is also here? This is just perfect… heh, heh, heh…" Riev got out.

"Riders and royal family of Renais… please, allow me to take care of this heretic…" L'Arachel said as she got off from her horse. "Dolza, Rennac, I'm gonna need your help to clear some more of these heretic's revival monsters from the ground.

"Gwah ha, ha! Your words shall be my motivation!" Dolza happily replied before he held his axe on his shoulder and dashed away, followed by the sighed Rennac.

"Heh, heh, heh… what a foolish move indeed, Princess…" Riev smirked. With a shine from his staff, the ground suddenly shook, causing some of us to lose their balance. After a while, hands shot up from the ground, slowly emerging out, and… what the heck?! Those zombies are most of the people we've faced throughout our journey! Breguet, Bone, Bazba, Saar, Novala, Murray, Tirado, and even Binks, Pablo, Aias, Carlyle, and Orson! "Surprised?" Riev asked. "His Highness has given me much more power than before, even up to the point of reviving the past battles you had in the past… heh, heh, heh…"

"Tch… looks like we're gonna stick around here for a while…" Chalice muttered while holding his Arrow in his hand as Glaive and Leangle descended down from the sky.

"Wait a minute… aren't those the people we've faced throughout the war?" Leangle asked.

"Yeah, what's the meaning of this anyways?!" Glaive panicked.

"We're fighting the war all over again, but this time all in one battle…" Garren grimaced.

"Heh, heh, heh… if you really think you can breach within the Black Temple, I suggest you break through this wall of defense first…" Riev challenged.

"If we have once taken them down, then it shouldn't be a problem taking them out again!" Lance said before getting into a stance.

"The heretic bishop is mine… the rest is all yours…" L'Arachel stated as she held her Light Tome in her hands.

"Right. Lance, remember the card Pontifex Mansel gave us? I think it may be a good time to test it out." I said throwing him the Prototype card which he caught.

He took his time on look at it before looking back at me. "Are you sure? I mean… I don't know if it would work on me…" he replied.

"Don't worry about it! Just try it out and see what happens…" I assured him. Lance slowly nodded, taking a glance of the card one more time before he roused it onto his Rouzer.

**PROTOTYPE**

"Eh?! It works?!" Lance said surprised as all of the Common Cards ejected out from his and Mikoto's side deck before all seven Common Blanks spun around him being absorbed into his armor, thus glowing radiantly. When the armor dimmed down, we all noticed his new armor had changed drastically. His armor is in full silver with blackish sliver on his body suit as he had Trial A's moth wings on his back, Trial B's bracers with Trial D's deadly fist aura in his fists as sparks were heard from his fists alone, Trial C's Speedster equipped onto his boots and with the enhancement from Trial F's energy makes his aura from Trial G's form emit out from his whole armor. His shoulders were mounted with Trial E's machine guns, which is similar to Gatack's Masked Form and his helmet remained the same, only in silver color with red eyes, as his lower part of the somehow had fangs and is movable.

Lance just achieved his Prototype form.

"Whoa! That's awesome!" Garren said happily.

"Hey how does it feel to be in–"

"Gwoarrrrrrrrrrrrrrrghhh!" Lance shouted angrily as his jaws on his helmet were somehow mimicked his growl, similar to how Gills does it in Agito.

"Storm?" Ephraim said confused.

"What's the _matter_ with him?" L'Arachel asked as Riev chuckled.

"Can't you see? He is in a berserk state right now… heh, heh, heh…" Riev pointed out.

"Oh crap! Lance, snap out of it!" I cried out.

"Gwoarrrrrrrrrrrrrrrghhh!" he shouted angrily before he madly dashed through the Riev and much to our surprise, tackled and destroyed one of the revived fallen ones, Binks, and went through Riev as he was heading towards… the Draco Zombie?!

"Oh crap, he's heading for the suicide move!" Chalice realized.

"L'Arachel, do you have anything to help him calm down?" Leangle asked her.

"Father Moulder has the Restore staff with him…" L'Arachel told us.

"Well, isn't that great? Now we're facing _more_ troubles than ever… nice going, Blade…" Chalice muttered.

"Hey! How should _I_ know that something like this was going to happen?!" I snapped.

"That doesn't matter right now!" Ephraim said. "Right now, we need to calm down Storm somehow."

"My brother is right… please both of you, don't fight amongst yourselves…" Eirika said.

"Looks we've no other choice but to wait for Father Moulder's to come here and calm him down…" Leangle pondered.

"But to calm him down, we need to take _them_ out…" Garren said holding his Rouzer tightly as the revived warriors slowly advanced.

"Now go! Defeat the enemies that have defeated you all! Avenge for the Demon King!" Riev commanded them before they ran towards us.

"Leave them to us." Glen said. "We'll take care of them, while you Riders deal with calming down Storm."

"Wait… are you sure you can _handle_ these guys?" I asked him.

"Hey, don't worry about it _too_ much, Kurogasa! Besides, these guys aren't _that_ strong!" Tana said happily before we Riders and the twins rushed towards our destination as L'Arachel stood with the rest of the group to confront Riev.

"Heh, heh, heh. The young lady of Rausten… The more cruel and gruesome your death, the more that cur Mansel would weep am I right? And that would make me _so_ very, very happy." Riev said, looking at the princess with a smirk.

"Do you think your words will frighten me?" L'Arachel said firmly tone as she held Ivaldi in her hands and Latona on her back, fastened tightly for safety measures. "I am Princess L'Arachel! Slaying demons is my forte! You who have sold your soul to the soulless… I grant you release from your wretched existence." she declared before both sides, casted spells onto each other.

* * *

_"Ugh… what happened?" Amber muttered as she slowly woke up._

_"Oh, you're awake. That's a good sign…" Tethys said as Amber slowly sat up. "You were asleep right after your boyfriend calmed you down and we've already reached the yard of the Black Temple…" Tethys added._

_"Oh…" Amber got out._

_"Grrrrrraaaaaoooooogggghh!"_

_"Hey, what's with the shout?" Amber asked herself as she took a peek from the front of the caravan and noticed a silver armored man; all with Trial's form and looked surprise. "S–Storm?!"_

_"Yes, that's him alright and he's now filled with anger… possibly by that armor…" Tethys said as Amber was still shocked._

_"No… Storm!" Amber cried out as she jumped out of the caravan._

_"Amber, wait!" Tethys cried out._

_"Henshin!"_

**OPEN UP**

_With her Prototype Kerberos conjured right in front of her, she wasted no time running. Tethys sighed at this. "She'll pass out right after she calms him down… since the whole field is made from the Demon King's blood…"_

* * *

As we dashed towards his direction, I noticed Lance punching the head of the Draco Zombie as if it was nothing, creating shockwave after shockwave with every single punch of his onto its head, courtesy of Trial D's fist and Trial E's energy. "Raaahhhh!" Lance shouted before he hits the dragon's head right on the money, forcing it to pull back.

"Big bro, calm down!" Garren shouted, but Lance ignored him and continued to face the decayed dragon.

"Storm!" A voice cried out. We all turned around to see… Larc?! Lance turned around and noticed her running at his direction. His berserk nature took over his instincts before the guns that were mounted on his shoulders shot out some laser balls at her.

"Cousin, watch out!" Chalice shouted before he immediately roused a card on his Arrow.

**REFLECT**

The Reflect Moth hologram conjured and appeared right behind him as he ran towards her direction and when the Reflect Moth entered his armor, he immediately held onto Larc, as shots were reflected back onto the Draco Zombie behind Lance. "Let me go, cousin! He needs me!" Larc shouted as she was struggling from his grasp.

"Are you _crazy_?! That guy is in berserk mode right now!" Chalice shouted back before Lance locked his sight on us and not on Chalice and Larc, and dashed towards us.

"Be on guard!" Ephraim shouted before Lance started swinging his Rouzer onto us, keeping us on the defense.

**ROCK**

**GEL**

**METAL**

The Metal Trilobite entered my armor, Rock Tortoise entered Garren's armor, and Gel Jellyfish entered Leangle's armor. Even with the cards we roused, his attack was no joke as he was able to cleanly kick me down, even in a Metal state, but at least the pain was bearable. Lance swung his Rouzer onto Garren, kicking away the soil on Garren's body before delivering a straight punch onto Leangle's stomach, as her Gel state literally absorbed every blow. "Gwarrrrrghhh!" Storm yelled out a roar before he spotted the twins in his view and even before he could reach them, a decayed dragon's roar caught his attention and he replied back with a roar of his own, making a mad dash towards it before he landed some blows on it with his fists.

"Kurogasa, are you alright?!" Eirika panicked as I reverted back to normal, wincing in pain from his strong kick.

"I'm fin– ite, te, te!" I cringed in pain. "Okay, maybe not. I think Lance fractured a rib." Eirika was worried for me as she stayed close to my side as Ephraim noticed someone approaching us from afar.

"Right on time, Father Moulder…" Ephraim said as Father Moulder looked at me.

"Young lad, are you alright?" Father Moulder asked.

"Yeah, got a fractured rib."

"I see. Let me heal you up…" Father Moulder said as he pointed his staff at me and the staff glowed radiating healing light on me.

"Whoa, check _that_ out…" Garren said as his armor and Leangle's returned to normal as we noticed the Draco Zombie unleashing a deadly breath onto him, but Lance wasn't fazed by it as his Energy Trial Undead equipped on him created a barrier in front of him, dispersing the breath away before he charged up for an attack.

"That looks _soo_ cool! I didn't know the Energy card can do _that_!" Glaive chirped, totally amazed by it, despite the situation.

"Read the mood! Storm needs to calm down!" Larc cried out.

"Oi! _You _need to calm down!" Chalice told his cousin as he held her tightly.

"Raaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhh!" Lance shouted as the energy collected on his fists, created sparks of electricity before he took a big leap forward, delivering the strongest shockwave punch directly onto the Draco zombie's jaw, clearly knocking it out before it disappeared right in front of us. Lance then shifted his focus onto Chalice and Larc as he slowly made his way towards them with his Rouzer he placed on his back earlier.

"Storm! Storm!" Larc cried out as she finally struggled out of Chalice's grip.

"Cousin! NO!" Chalice cried out, but Larc ignored him as she ran towards the berserk Lance and hugged him tightly.

"Storm! Please! Stop this! Come back to me!" Larc cried, as tears streaming down her face behind her mask.

At first, his berserk instinct told him to rip her apart as he slowly raised his arms but for some reason, for once, he was hesitant as Larc canceled out her transformation and kept hugging him as tears continued to flow out from her eyes as he was in a standstill; still unable to decide on what to do.

"O–Oi! Are you insane?!" Chalice said to her after she undid her transformation.

"Should we _help_ her? She might be in trouble if his berserk side takes over!" Garren said panicked.

"Please Storm, come back to me…" Amber sobbed. "I love you too much to see you like this…" Lance growled lowly at this, everything was still at a standstill, us holding our breath until Lance… hugged her?!

"Am… ber…" Storm got out as Amber continued to cry on him.

"Remember how we first met in the hospital? I was crying for my mother who got involved in an accident and then… _you_ came along, handing me a flower, telling me that a beautiful girl shouldn't cry. I was surprised from it at first because you and I are total strangers…" she continued as she buried her face on him and Lance canceled out his transformation, still hugging her to comfort her. "You were there for me, cheering me up with your friendly attitude. That's when I… have fallen in love with you…"

"Yeah… I still remember that moment… even though I have forgotten completely about my buddy who was in the ward for having an accident of his own…" Storm replied back to her with a sweat drop but keeping it in a gentle tone. "Who would've thought that me, a Kamen Rider fan, would end up having a rich but very kind and playful girl, as my girlfriend?"

"That's why… I always had your gift around me and always wore it…" Amber said. "A–And…"

"I know, I know… you took a lot of courage to help me out, despite your fears… I'll be here for you… always." Storm assured her.

"Well I'll be… I can't believe she actually _did_ it… without _fighting_, no less…" Chalice said surprised.

"Amber… sumanai…" Storm got out.

Amber lightly shook her head as she had a smile on her face. "Don't worry… I already forgive you…" she replied back as every Rider canceled out our transformations.

"It's really a heartwarming moment indeed…" Melissa–sempai said happily.

"Yeah!" Mikoto agreed.

"I guess love _does_ conquer all…" Kurai said while looking at the two.

"_Anything_ can happen, Kurai…" Ephraim said as Akira and Father Moulder looked at them with a smile.

"Kurogasa… is what Storm said true? He completely forgot about visiting you that time?" Eirika asked curiously.

"Yep. He's an airhead, but I can't blame him for that. That's just how he is." I shrugged.

Eirika giggled at that. "It seems like everything went well on this side!" I heard a familiar voice and when I looked, L'Arachel walked in with a happy expression on her face, along with others. "So, what am I missing here?"

"Just seeing Storm beat that decayed dragon from guarding the front gate… and it was AWESOME!" Mikoto said excited.

"Yeah, and not to mention on his own…" Chalice added as L'Arachel noticed everyone had wounds on their body.

"And I guess you've done your part as well?" I asked her.

"It was a challenge, but at least Riev have saw the light in the end…" L'Arachel pointed out.

"Hahahahahahahaha! Well done…" A dark voice rang out. We heard the voice that was calling for us and when we looked at the entrance, we saw something that we were hoping not to be seen again…

"Joker Undead…" I got out.

"Yes… my friend has released me from my seal… and now… it's just a matter of time before this whole world is engulfed in darkness once again…" Joker chuckled. "Soon… once the Demon King has hatched from his host, we shall combine our forces as one, becoming one of the strongest beings of them all! And not even _you_ riders can do anything about it!" He shouted, full of confidence.

"We _will_ stop you!" I shouted.

"Oh, I beg to differ." Joker scoffed. "I would love to kill you all right now, but for now, I am only a messenger as my friend has other plans for you… he was so amused by this battle, that he decided to let you rest and lick your wounds before entering the Black Temple."

"I don't think we have to time to wait and rest…" L'Arachel said stepping forward as she held the Latona Staff in her hands.

"Aren't _you_ a brave one? You cannot see your comrades wounds all bruised up?" Joker mocked.

"Never underestimate the true strength of the Light!" L'Arachel shouted before she raised her Latona Staff high and let out a radiant glow. I noticed my wounds clearing up and I feel… my energy coming back, as if I've taken a good night's sleep… and I'm not the _only_ one who's affected by this light.

"This light… from the Sacred Twin of Rausten… I never knew it would be _this_ powerful…" Eirika said while her wounds are clearing up and reenergizing her back to the fullest. "And I feel refreshed from it…"

"Yes, it's amazing." Ephraim agreed. Soon, everyone was back and feeling refreshed.

"Alright! I'm ready for another can–whoopin!" Akira said happily.

"Heh… lady luck sure is on our side today, huh?" Joshua smiled.

"But even so… we must hurry… I sense Darkness beginning to spread…" Myrrh said to us.

"And the clouds of darkness have covered the sky…" Saleh said as all of us looked above and what was supposed to be daylight was now covered in total darkness.

"If you are ready… heh, come and get us…" Joker mocked before he warped back to his place, courtesy of the works of Demon King.

"We better not stand around here and do nothing about it… we still have one last work to do…" Ephraim said to us.

"Right, let's go everyone!" I said and then everyone went towards the Black Temple.

* * *

As everyone went the Black Temple, Myrrh looked in another direction looking from afar. "I'm sorry… Father…"

"Myrrh, is something the matter?" Eirika asked before Myrrh looked at Eirika.

"Um… I… I just met with my father. I had not seen or spoken with him for quite a while."

"You saw your father? Then we must speak with him–"

"No… He told me he couldn't see you. He said it wasn't a good idea for him to meet so many people. As the tribal chieftain, he feels he should maintain his distance."

"Is that so… That's too bad." Eirika said.

"But he offered me words of encouragement and praised my efforts thus far." Myrrh continued. "He told me in his kindly voice to come home to him safely. I will do my best to honor his faith in me."

"He sounds like a good father." Eirika said.

"He is… Mistress Eirika… I'll do all I can. For my father– and for all of you as well. I will help you, and we will defeat the Demon King."

"Are you sure you want to go with us, Myrrh?" Eirika asked. "You had so wanted to be with your father…"

"Yes… I'm sure. Once we are finished dealing with this evil, I will have time then. Let's hurry, Mistress Eirika."

"Myrrh… I understand. Let's get moving. The faster we can end this nightmare, the better." Eirika said.

We have soon reached the end of the line and entering into a rather large ruined sanctuary of some sort with an altar in the middle, as we saw Evil Lyon stand at the middle of it, while the Joker Undead stood near a stone slab.

_**"****I have been expecting your arrival… Legendary Riders…"**_

* * *

Alright, and that's another chapter down! We're at the climax of this battle! As always, review, and stay tuned for the final battle!


	24. Final Chapter: The Sacred Stone

Okay guys, we're here! It's time for the final battle! And Wild Fang and I ain't holding back on this chapter! It's gonna be epic! Let's go!

Disclaimer: Same thing.

* * *

Final Chapter: The Sacred Stone

This is it… the last battle that we were all waiting for… after all of the mess we've been through, we've nearly reached the end of the final chapter of our story. Everyone was worked up for the final battle and if it wasn't for L'Arachel's Latona Staff, we would be wasting more time and the Demon King would've by now, already performed his rites to unleash the true self from his host.

_**"****I have been expecting your arrival… Legendary Riders…"**_ Evil Lyon smirked. _**"Who would have thought that all of you were brave enough to plunge into your deaths?"**_

"They're just mortals after all, as their pathetic dreams of saving the world are nothing more than just a fantasy…" the Joker said while rubbing its hand on another Stone Slab nearby.

"Lyon…" Eirika got out.

"Fomortiis, your reign of terror ends now!" I shouted pointing my Blay Rouzer at the possessed Lyon.

"Oh, it hasn't ended yet, Blade… this is only _just_ the beginning…" Evil Lyon smirked as Eirika stepped forward.

"Lyon… please, don't lose yourself to the Demon King!" Eirika shouted at him.

_**"****Hm? You **_**do**_** know that that was a foolish attempt to call for him now, right?"**_ Evil Lyon asked. _**"I told you before. This mortal's soul was already eaten away the moment I possessed him. Now, if you're done turning your failings into some sad epic of personal tragedy, then it's time we started then. I have a ritual to complete and some nuisances to kill."**_

"Shut your mouth!" Eirika shouted. "I _won't_ allow you to desecrate Lyon's body any further. You will not return to this world. I will stop you _myself_ if I must."

_**"****Ah, is that so?"**_ Evil Lyon asked. _**"And do you honestly think yourself capable, wench? You once prayed for this fool's salvation. Can you bring yourself to kill him?"**_

Eirika was stunned from the question as she wasn't able to decide on what to answer. The Joker Undead then gave an idea to his partner. "Why don't you just let your shell do some speaking to her before he meets his demise? That would work to inflict more pain in her, correct?"

_**"****Ah, such a wonderful idea, my friend… I was just thinking about that…"**_ Evil Lyon said before Lyon was reverted back to normal, but still under the possession of the Demon King as Lyon kneeled down in pain. "Ei… Eirika… Ephraim…" he got out, panting heavily.

"Lyon!" Eirika cried out.

"Lyon…" Ephraim got out as Lyon looked at his friends.

"Eirika… do you remember… what we talked about… before you left a year and a half ago…?" Lyon asked.

* * *

**Flashback – 1 ½ Years ago**

_"When tomorrow comes… you have to go home, don't you?" Lyon asked slightly sad._

_"Yes…" Eirika said sadly before a smile appeared on her face again. "Thank you for everything, Lyon. I'll never forget the time I spent here."_

_Hearing that from Eirika made Lyon happy again. "Do you think we'll see each other again?"_

_"Yes, of course. My brother, you, and me. We are friends, after all. Aren't we?"_

_"Eirika…" Lyon got out, before he smiled. "Yep, you're right." _

_"I hope your study of the Sacred Stones is fruitful." Eirika said. "I know you'll use the wisdom you gleaned to make your people happy." _

_"Thank you, Eirika." Lyon thanked. "You know, _you're_ the only reason I was able to _save_ that girl. There were times when I wanted to give up… to admit failure. But you were always there. You were always encouraging me to succeed. That's what kept me going. I just thought of you."_

_"Lyon…"_

_"Eirika… I… I've always…" He said, but then paused to consider his next words before saying, "I'm sorry… Forget what I was saying. I could never be like Ephraim…"_

_"Lyon, what do you–" Eirika began._

_"I guess this is it, Eirika. Hope to see you again someday." Lyon said. "I'm going to focus on my work and do my best until that day. My research will progress, and my discoveries will benefit us all. One day, I will be a prince worthy of you, and I will see you again."_

**End Flashback**

* * *

"Back then… you were a gentle soul and always thought of using the Sacred Stone for the sake of good…" Eirika got out.

"Eirika…" I breathed.

"I guess at least we know some tidbits about the back story of these guys…" Kurai muttered out.

"Ei… Eirika… this isn't your fault…" Lyon began, forcefully getting himself up and looked at them. "I'm… I'm almost completely gone… Before I'm lost entirely, I want to apologize. I'm sorry… Eirika. This is all my fault. I was too weak…"

"Please, Lyon! This isn't your fault!" Eirika protested.

"It's that black stone of yours to begin with…" Akira pointed out but Lyon shook his head in denial.

"No, that's not true, dear Rider…" Lyon began while still hurting. "When the Demon King reached into me from inside the Dark Stone… when he whispered he would see all my dreams and desires made true, I… did not reject him. In the shadows of my heart, he saw jealousy, vanity… It was my weakness that put these emotions there, allowed them to thrive."

"_Everyone_ has weaknesses, Lyon." Eirika said. "You're not the _only_ one. I do. I'm sure my brother does too. Don't hate yourself for having these feelings, please."

"Thank you, Eirika. You were always so kind." Lyon smiled gently. "The Demon King will claim my flesh as a vessel for his resurrection. Before that can happen, I want you to kill me."

"W… What?" Eirika said confused before Lyon screamed in pain once again.

"Lyon!" Ephraim shouted. When the screaming was over, the figure before us stood there with a smile on his face, showing that the Demon King has returned.

_**"****Oh, I just love to see the people crying in despair…"**_ Evil Lyon smiled sinisterly before looking at me. _**"And I'm going to do the same thing to you, Blade…"**_

"I won't let you hurt those precious to me!" I shouted getting in front of Eirika to protect her.

"K–Kurogasa…" she got out.

"Isn't this romantic? The view I'm seeing here makes me sick to my stomach…" the Joker mocked.

_**"****Isn't it? Because all humans are too fragile for sure…"**_ Evil Lyon commented.

"It's true… we humans may be fragile, but that doesn't mean that we stand there and do nothing! And if you want to hurt my sister, you'll have to go through me!" Ephraim said firmly as advanced forward while standing in front of his sister.

"Yeah, and he's not the _only_ one you gotta deal with…" Storm said as he stayed next to me while resting his Rouzer on his shoulder.

"And me!" Amber said standing next to Storm.

"Don't forget me, big sis!" Akira shouted.

"Might as well enter the fray…" Kurai noted.

"And I'm not letting you enter alone, Kurai…" Melissa–sempai added.

"Hey, don't forget me!" Mikoto chirped and soon everyone else joined in, much to my surprise.

"Remember this, Kurogasa! You don't have to fight alone anymore! You got _us_ to back you up!" Tana smiled.

"Minna…" I got out as I saw most of their smiling faces on them.

_**"****Hmph… words won't work here… if you need changes, we shall cross blades!"**_ Evil Lyon shouted.

"Took the words right out of my mouth. Riders, let's go!" I shouted. The seven of us Riders, placed our buckles on our waists and had our Change Ace cards at the ready.

"Henshin!"

**TURN/OPEN UP**

**CHANGE**

Seven holograms of our Change Ace holograms appeared right in front of us and slowly made its way back to us, thus donning us into our respective armor. When we looked at him, Evil Lyon smiled. _**"Yes… **_**now**_** we're getting somewhere…"**_

"This is it, you guys… our final battle…" I got out.

"Let's make it showy!" Gerik smirked as Evil Lyon warped to the middle of the room, with a ritual circle below him as he charged up.

_**"****Come now… you better hurry or else… it's time for my Resurrection…"**_ Evil Lyon smirked before he started chanting.

"Innes, Tana, Saleh, Knoll, Duessel, you got your respective Sacred Twin weapons?" I asked.

"In our hands, just like you've told us to, before we reached Darkling Woods…" Innes informed having Nidhogg at the ready.

"Is it the right time to use it?" Tana asked as she took out Vidofnir from her back.

"I am ready…" Saleh said as he puts away the current tome and exchanged it with Excalibur.

"I have it right here with me… always." Knoll told me as he Glephnir in his hand.

"Do what you think it is best for us. We are at your disposal…" Duessel told me as he held Garm in his hands. "The darkness within this axe is nothing that can affect me, just as my cursed lance…" he further informed.

"And don't you even think I'll let you get close to him _that_ easily!" Joker Undead shouted at me before it raised its arms high and all of the sudden, a rather larger than normal army of DarkRoaches and AlbinoRoaches swarmed out onto the field, ready to face us.

"Oh, you've gotta be kidding me!" Rennac complained.

"These guys came in extra–large size…" Forde whistled.

"And they also come in white? This could be troublesome, considering the fact on what we witnessed with Albino Joker…" Kyle said solemnly.

"Good… more blood for my blade to taste…" Marisa added while she held her Shamshir in hand.

"Okay then, Riders, we'll deal with Joker, those with Sacred Twin weapons, head for Lyon, everyone else kill these Dark and Albino Roaches!" I commanded.

"Right!/Yosha!" All of us shouted happily as we started advancing towards our respective targets and the Roaches charged towards us but us Riders and Sacred Twins wielders easily passed through, confusing the Roaches before they got the taste of the blade from our friends.

* * *

**BGM: Supernova by Tetra Fang**

_"Gwah ha, ha! Let's start chopping already!" Dolza heartily laughed as he started swinging around his Battle Axe onto the Roaches, killing them off and knocking some of them back to make them fall for their demise._

_"Woooaahhh!" Garcia roared letting out a war cry before he got pumped up and shoved them aside and slashing them with his axe to make them turn into green gas, before parrying one of the AlbinoRoaches with his shield, forcing them to go back. "Son! Chop them out of our sight!"_

_"You got it dad! YAHHHHHHHH!" Ross yelled as he charged towards the AlbinoRoaches. The strong charge from his son made the AlbinoRoaches stumble back before the two put the offense again._

_"You know I _hate_ this kind of battle, right?" Rennac complained to Colm._

_"I ain't complaining here, but for our friend's sake and Neimi's, this is what we must do…" Colm said before he slashed down one of the AlbinoRoaches. "Besides, I don't want to live a world where this planet is filled with cockroaches!"_

_"Well, I gotta agree with ya there… that kind of world _does_ sound plain weird for me to hear…" Rennac nodded before he slashed one of the DarkRoaches' head, turning into a green mist. "And I _definitely_ don't like _this_ smell!"_

* * *

_As Neimi shot out an arrow towards one of the AlbinoRoaches on its chest, turning them into green mist, she noticed Tethys being chased by a group of DarkRoaches. Tethys paused for a moment before she turned around to face them. "Wait!" the sound of her voice made the DarkRoaches stop on their tracks. "There's something you should know… gotcha!" She winked before slashes were heard from behind them as one by one they were taken out by Gerik and Marisa's blade before they stopped their assault._

_"Will you look at that? Our plan really worked… what do you think, Marisa? Does you blade still crave for more blood?" Gerik grinned._

_"Yes… a lot more…" Marisa answered._

_Gerik laughed at that before they noticed another batch of DarkRoaches and AlbinoRoaches heading towards them. "Well, there's your answer! Let's feed that thirst of your blade, shall we?"_

_"Yes, Chief. By your command…" Marisa said before she and Gerik advanced forward as Neimi stepped in front of Tethys with a sword in hand._

_"T–Tethys, I'll protect you…" Neimi assured her._

_"I'm sure you will…" Tethys smiled._

* * *

_Meanwhile, Lute, Ewan and Artur began to combine all three of their respective powers, creating a rather large fusion orb as a group of AlbinoRoaches were closing in._

_"By the power of divine Light…" Artur began._

_"…and the power of the Nature…" Lute chanted._

_"…within the pits of darkness…" Ewan continued on._

_"Perish the fiends in front of us!" they shouted in unison before three different attacks spiraled around each other, blasting away the enemies in front of them, and Ewan jumped excitedly._

_"Did you see that?! Our attacks really worked!" Ewan got out._

_"But of course! It's all thanks to my superior magic…" Lute boasted._

_"Don't you mean our superior magic?" Artur asked. "You don't want to feel Melissa's darkness again, do you?"_

_"Ah!" Lute said remembering that time when they were on way to Caer Pelyn. That and hearing Artur's voice somehow made her blush. "Y–Yes… let's not bring that up again…"_

_"That's good to hear…" Artur smiled before Ewan noticed more Roaches heading their way._

_"Hey, look! They are coming at us again!" Ewan pointed out._

_"Aren't they stubborn?" Lute noticed. "Well then, we should try to blast them out again…"_

* * *

_On the other side of the field, Vanessa, Syrene, Cormag and Glen dove their ride down to skewer their enemies with their lances before they took off in the air once again. "As long as we repeat this process, there will be no way they'll try to harm us. We must protect the Sacred Relic users at _all_ cost!" Glen shouted._

_"Agreed, brother!" Cormag said._

_"Well, let's at waste any more time! Vanessa, let's go!" Syrene ordered._

_"Yes, sis!" Vanessa obeyed._

* * *

_While the aerial units continued to repeat their strategy, Amelia advanced forward on foot onto one of the AlbinoRoaches and when it was about to attack her, she played smart by placing her lance into one of the gaps on the floor, and vaulted herself over the AlbinoRoaches before she slashed down the one that was behind it. The AlbinoRoach was confused by her actions before it got sliced away with Franz's sword. "Nice move!" Franz commented._

_"Thanks! I never thought it would work but I guess I was wrong!" Amelia replied before she felt a healing aura from afar, noticing the previous wound on her last battle with the DarkRoaches healed up. "Thank you, Father Moulder!"_

_"No worries! I will continue to aid you from afar!" Father Moulder assured her after healing her with his Physic staff while Natasha healed up Forde, Kyle, Seth and Gilliam from them attacking their healers._

_"Thanks, Sister!" Forde smiled._

_"Think nothing of it…" Natasha assured him._

_"But still, our top priority is making sure our healers are saved from these wretched fiends!" Kyle said to them._

_"Agreed. We don't want any more casualties, like that young lad said before…" Gilliam noted._

_"Then let's continue." Seth said taking down an AlbinoRoach with his Silver Sword. As more of them kept coming at them, Myrrh used her Dragonstone to turn herself into a large dragon, spewing her flames onto the Dark and Albino Roaches to burn away the enemies before she advanced forward with her form. "And with_ her_ strength in our aid, it'll be much easier to defeat the enemy…" Seth noted._

* * *

_Meanwhile, Eirika, Ephraim, Innes, Tana, Joshua, Saleh, Duessel, L'Arachel and Saleh were now confronting Evil Lyon as they surrounded him outside of his ritual circle. _**"Oh? It seems like you are all very determined to save this pathetic flesh of a fool…"**

_"We'll do whatever it takes!" Ephraim shouted._

_"And we're not letting you do whatever you want with his body!" Eirika shouted._

_"It's time for you to be vanquished and sealed back to where you came from!" L'Arachel warned him._

**"Hahahahaha! Fools! You think your mere little weapon toys and small hunk of rock can defeat me?!"**_ Evil Lyon laughed._

_"We won't know unless we try this!" Innes said as he launched his first attack onto him, releasing his first arrow. Evil Lyon was able to stop it with his dark magic, but not before Saleh casted Excalibur onto his direction, making Evil Lyon stumble from the attack._

**"This attack… it **_**can't**_** be!"**_ Evil Lyon said surprised._

_"You were saying?" Joshua smirked as he charged at Lyon with Audhulma in his hand. Evil Lyon quickly casted a monster, having two cyclops appear to stop Joshua's advance, but it didn't bother him much as he stopped, did a sword dance before five mirages of himself appeared and all five of them launched towards the two Cyclops, slicing them up with ease before the two disappeared before him. It was then he got blasted away from Evil Lyon's dark blast, which he blocked before he took damage._

_"Prince Lyon, please forgive me…" Knoll apologized before he casted a dark rainstorm from the Sacred Twin he held, hailing it on Evil Lyon. Evil Lyon casted a barrier to protect himself from it and amongst the hail of dark rain, Tana dove down with her Pegasus, holding her Vidofnir tightly and landed a wound on him before she flew high back._

**"How **_**dare**_** you!"** _Evil Lyon scowled angrily before another arrow shot and two different blasts hit him, courtesy of Innes, Saleh and L'Arachel. Duessel advanced forward and swung Garm onto Evil Lyon, which he dodged, by warping to another place but still within the ritual circle. From the damage he received earlier, most of the wounds on him recovered rapidly. _**"You **_**all**_** shall pay for it!"**

_"It's _you_ that shall pay! You will pay for desecrating my friend's body!" Ephraim charging towards Evil Lyon with Siegmund in hand._

_"Let's do this together, brother!" Eirika said as she also charged on the other side with Sieglinde in hand._

_"I'm gonna join in!" Tana added as she took to the sky once again with Vidofnir in hand as Evil Lyon prepared for their advance._

* * *

**KICK**

**THUNDER**

**MACH**

The holograms of Kick Locust, Thunder Deer, and Mach Jaguar entered my armor.

**LIGHTNING SONIC**

With a big leap, I was high in the air, aiming my kick onto the Joker Undead which was busy handling Chalice and Lance to distract it before both of them kicked it to the front. After it stumbled, my kick connected but not on its chest, rather on his defensive arm, causing it to tumble down the steps. It took a bit of a roll before it immediately stood back up and advanced onto us again. "Come now… that tickled…" it mocked.

"Let's see how you like _this_!" Garren shouted rousing his three cards.

**DROP**

**FIRE**

**GEMINI**

Getting into his stance, he puts away his Rouzer in his gun sheath and clenched his fist tightly.

**BURNING DIVIDE**

With a leap high, he performed some corkscrew spins before multiplying into two, which made Joker scoffed.

"Hmph, with _that_ attack, _nothing_ works on me…" Joker boasted.

**BLIZZARD CRUSH**

From out of nowhere, Leangle launched herself on its side, surprising him before a stream of blizzard blinded it before a series of kicks connected, making Joker stumble diagonally. "What a cheap trick!" It said angry and slashed both of them as soon as they landed. They weren't able to defend themselves from that on time. His scratch attack on Garren, followed by a kick and an upper scratch on Leangle caused the two to tumble down, triggering Chalice's anger.

"Kono yarooooooo!" Chalice said rousing three cards.

**FLOAT**

**DRILL**

**TORNADO**

With Float Dragonfly, Drill Shell, and Tornado Hawk entering into his armor, he spun spin rapidly and hovered into the air.

**SPINNING DANCE**

And at the same time…

**MIGHTY**

**MIGHTY**

**MIGHTY**

With three Mightys heard, Joker Undead was volleyed by multiple numbers of fire shots, courtesy of Larc's Mighty Ray as Glaive dashed forward, creating an 'A' slash onto its body before she got out of the way since Lance was already performing his Mighty Impact. His Rouzer scraped the ground and froze it, before cleaving the enemy in half, spreading the venomous chill onto its body before Chalice dived down and drove one of the strongest drill kick he has ever delivered on it, making the Joker Undead fly towards a pitfall nearby and it was no longer in our sight. As Glaive took her final bow after her attack, an explosion occurred on that pitfall, but we didn't manage to seal it.

"Whoa… did we just defeat Joker Undead on our own?!" Lance asked worked up.

"I… I _think_ so…" Larc got out.

"Yay! We did it!" Glaive cheered jumping up and down.

Chalice went towards where Leangle fell earlier and helped her out as I came down and helped out Garren to get back on his feet. "Are you alright?" Chalice asked Leangle.

"Yes, I'm alright, Kurai…" Leangle replied.

"Big bro… did we just…" Garren said a bit stunned from what just happened.

"Yeah… but, for some reason… I feel that it was too easy…" I muttered out. It was true too. We should've battled _longer_ than this… we should've been _tired_ by now, but no… we still got some energy left.

*SHANK!*

And we heard stabbing on other side of the field and noticed Evil Lyon being stabbed by Eirika, Ephraim and Tana, all in their respective Sacred Twins in hand as Evil Lyon coughed out the blood from his mouth. When the three of them pulled their weapons out, Evil Lyon slumped down on the ritual circle…

**End BGM**

* * *

"Where… Where did I go wrong…?" the real Lyon asked instead of the Demon King as Eirika and Ephraim went towards him, Ephraim holding him in his arms.

"Lyon!" Eirika cried out as the rest of us Riders went over to the Sacred Twin wielders along with everyone else who took care of the Dark and Albino Roaches.

"Well, _that_ was easy…"Forde commented.

"Prince Lyon…" Natasha got out.

"Forgive me… it has to be done…" Knoll told the sister as Lyon looked at Ephraim weakly.

"I guess that proves it. You're too strong, Ephraim… I've always… admired… even you as well… Eirika…" Lyon spoke weakly.

"Please, don't talk too much! Our healers can heal you up!" Eirika said, but Lyon denied her offer.

"No…" Lyon said before he looked at Ephraim. "You know, Ephraim… I always wanted to be you. I wanted to be strong and handsome… with Eirika always at my side… That's what I wanted to be. I had… I had nothing…" Ephraim got angry at what he was saying.

"Don't be ridiculous, Lyon! _Who_ was it that taught me history? _Who_ covered for me when I stumbled? Didn't you see how I looked up to _you_? I admired your _compassion_, your _wisdom_, your _thoughtfulness_…" he got out as all of us Riders were witnessing the sad reunion.

"Oh, yeah… That seems so long ago… I _did_ keep you out of trouble, didn't I? Thanks for remembering. See? You're thoughtful, too…" Lyon replied as he slowly closed his eyes. Eirika held onto his hands as both her and Ephraim streamed tears down from their eyes.

"Lyon, please just hold on a little longer!" Eirika cried out for him.

"Don't close your eyes just yet! I'm going to save you! I'll find a way! I…" Ephraim also cried out for him, before Lyon intervened.

"No, don't… Thanks, anyway. It was all my fault… Don't look so sad. C'mon, Ephraim, smile. Like you used to…" Lyon said weakly smiling, before he shifted his attention to Eirika. "Eirika… there's something… I would like to tell you…"

"Y–Yes… what is it?" Eirika stuttered.

"I never have the courage to tell you this… but I… have always… loved… you…" Lyon muttered. And with those last words, he closed his eyes and his hand slumped down on the ground with a kind smile on his face.

"Lyon…" Eirika sobbed. I knelt down next to Eirika and she suddenly hugged me and I hugged her back. Everyone was silent, as they silently mourned the loss of a good prince. After a moment, everyone was pulling themselves together

"Something doesn't add up…" Garren pondered.

"What do you mean?" Ephraim asked as he looked at him.

"The battle we had… it was as if he was delaying for something…" Innes said.

"And this ritual circle… it was meant for something else…" Knoll said looking at the circle before they saw Lyon's body floating high into the sky, surprising us.

"_NOW_, what are we facing here?!" Lance complained.

When Lyon's body floated high enough, the ritual circle glowed radiantly, shooting a beam upwards. We were thrown back from the blast as most of the Riders and the Sacred Twin wielders were sharing the same fate as _we_ are; now on the ground outside of the circle. "What the heck was _that_?!" L'Arachel complained as everyone noticed Lyon's whole body disintegrate into particles, which made Knoll understand what the purpose of the ritual circle was.

"_Now_ I see… this circle isn't just meant for its revival, but also it requires the host to be killed as well…" Knoll deducted out before a voice echoed throughout the whole room.

**"Hahahahahahahahahahaha! Well done, Lyon. The sacrifice of your flesh and the sum of your efforts… They were all for naught. All this time, you imagined yourself in possession of your own free will, but it was **_**I**_** who planted the seed from which your ambitions grew. My deceit made you my puppet, and oh, how you danced at the end of my strings. You could **_**never**_** have been saved. It's a shame, isn't it, Lyon?"**

"That's Fomortiis!" I recognized.

**"Now, humans… Lament your fate. Weep for the dead. Despair for the living. Wail and tremble in grief. Grovel in awe and fear. I AM REBORN!"**

"FINALLY! Took you long enough…" Another voice said and as it turns out, the Joker Undead leaped out from where he fell earlier and was next to the stone slab where he stood earlier, as the whole ground shook violently, making most of us lose our footing before a dark vortex appeared on the ground. Something slowly crawled out from it and boy we weren't expecting _this_ kind of outcome…

"WOW! That thing really _DOES_ resemble Summoned Skull!" Larc said surprises as she looked at it. It has purple body with scales on it, two large tails, and a few horns that twirled around on its head as it lets out a malicious grin. This was it… the true mastermind of them all… Fomortiis, the Demon King himself…

"That guy is HUGE!" Mikoto said shocked after seeing the fiend about five stories taller than us.

"Is… is that… the… Demon King?" Eirika said stunned… heck, _everyone_ had the same expression…

"Demon King!" Ephraim shouted as he was the first one who stood up and got angry. "_You_ are responsible for all the misery we've seen!" He shouted as he looked at it while clenching fist. "Lyon… My friend… You're the one…"

"Who says we are finished yet?" the Joker Undead told us as he held a black card in his hand. "We _did_ say we'll be taking this world together… with our strongest form of them all…"

"It _can't_ be!" Saleh said surprised.

"Is he… going to do what I _think_ he's going to do…?" Myrrh asked concerned.

"Yeah…" I muttered.

**"And now witness our **_**true**_** power!"** Fomortiis yelled as it and Joker Undead floated into the sky and Joker merged with Fomortiis, his arms, legs, and the bottom half of his body being fused to Fomortiis's chest, and glowed a dark light while sending a shockwave of darkness towards us. The strong shockwave coming out from it was strong enough to push us all the way back to where we started as dark crackles of lightning were heard from the transformation the two created. Once it was already in position, Joker roused his card onto his belt…

**JAISHIN–14**

A rather large hologram of the said card appeared in front of them as it slowly crept towards them and when they went through it their transformation was complete as soared to the sky.

"Oh man… that huge sword on its hand…" Lance began.

"That white armor pads on its shoulders with gold circles as decoration with Spade, Club, Heart, and Diamond on it…" Larc added.

"Having two pairs of arms…" Glaive continued on.

"With a bone–like tail…" Leangle noticed.

"And a specter on its _other_ arm…" Kurai muttered.

"That long head and grin on its face…" Garren continued.

"There's no doubt about it…" I finished off. "…that's Jaishin–14…"

_**"****We are now as one… our strongest form that can never be defeated by mere Sacred Twins of this pathetic world…"**_ Jaishin 14 spoke in unison before it swung it sword on the ground, enough to make the whole ground shake as we ended up falling back on our butts. _**"Now witness the true terror of Darkness!"**_ It shouted before it let out a roar that could make the whole world hear.

"That's the king of all demons... What a ferocious sight he is." Artur breathed.

"Oh, that's the Demon King, isn't it? Yes, I've read all about him." Lute said.

"Come on… You can't be serious!" Rennac complained.

"That's the _heart_ of the _darkness_ I've studied? It can't be…" Knoll said in disbelief.

"Prince Lyon…" Natasha said sadly.

"There must be _something_ that we can do!" Franz said.

"We can't let our guard down." Gilliam advised.

"Can my magic prevail?" Saleh wondered.

"I'm starting to wonder if I _really_ should be here…" Neimi said worried.

"Defeat the foe. Nothing else matters." Cormag said to her.

"Agreed. We need to focus what's in front of us." Glen added.

"Fighting's all well and good, but where's all the treasure?" Colm asked.

"You're thinking about treasure at a time like this?!" Larc snapped bopping his head.

"OW!"

"What an eyesore…" Chalice muttered.

"For once, I agree with you." I said.

"Indeed it is…" Leangle agreed too.

"I know. This power is greater than _anything_ we've ever faced… But none of that matters. I've learned so much… My lance is _stronger_ than ever. That thing that deceived and murdered my friend… No matter what happens, I'm going to destroy it!" Ephraim said determined as Jaishin–14 laughed.

**_"Fool! Do you really think you can defeat a divine being?!"_** Jaishin–14 mocked.

"We don't think! We _know_!" I shouted.

_**"Hah… why don't we put that to the test, shall we?"**_ Jaishin–14 challenged.

"L'Arachel! It's time. We have to use the final Sacred Stone. We must use its power against the Demon King, as in the stories of old!" Eirika told her.

"You _must_ listen to me, Eirika. The stories _are_ true; the stone _does_ hold the power to stop the Demon King. However, the source of its power is human will, the desire for peace within our hearts."

"In our… hearts?" Eirika pondered.

"Yes, that's right. We need not pray for the Sacred Stones to aid us now. No, we need only focus ourselves and concentrate on a better future." L'Arachel continued.

"I understand, L'Arachel…" Eirika got out before she turned around and looked at the troops and us Riders. "Listen, everyone. I can never repay you for all you've done so far. Now, please, one last time… lend me your strength! To defeat the Demon King! To restore peace to our lands! To take the peace we all dream of and make it real!"

"My only wish is to serve and protect the two of you…" Seth began.

"Please, let everyone come through this unscathed…" Vanessa prayed.

"Hm. I wonder if we can reenact the legend." Father Moulder pondered.

"Watch with pride, Father! I'll show you who's the strongest!" Ross declared.

"This may be my last battle. I'll hold nothing back." Garcia said determined.

"So, what does Lady Luck have in store for me today?" Joshua wondered.

"Gotta d–do my best. Here goes!" Amelia said readying her lance.

"Bah… I am in _no_ way inferior to this so–called Demon King." Innes scoffed.

"There's nothing to fear. I'll protect _everyone_!" Tana cheered.

"Never stop fighting. Never…" Gerik said.

"Don't tense up! You'll fight _better_ if you're relaxed." Tethys teased.

"My blade will cut deep." Marisa said.

"I'll show you all what my magic can do." Ewan declared.

"We must be steel blades with which to pierce the enemy." Duessel stated.

"I will show you honor and valor of the Frelian Pegasus Knights." Syrene vowed.

"I, L'Arachel, strike in the name of righteousness, order, and Rausten!" L'Arachel declared.

"Gwah ha, ha! Same goes for me!" Dolza laughed.

"I'll do what I can." Myrrh said meekly.

"Is everybody ready? We're going to win!" Ephraim said.

"We've got to do what we can, right?" Forde asked.

"We're with you all the way, Prince Ephraim!" Kyle said.

"Let's win this thing!" Glaive cheered.

"And kick some demon bad guy butt while we're at it!" Larc added.

"I'm sure we'll all get through this…" Leangle said.

"We've come this far, and now we can end it once and for all!" Garren declared.

"Time to get this eyesore out of my sight." Chalice muttered.

"This is it buddy! We're gonna win this!" Lance said.

"That's right! And I'll show everyone why Blade is the trump card of hope!" I said.

"Everyone…" Eirika got out looking at me, the Riders, and everyone who were smiling and determined to win this. She nodded then turned her attention to Jaishin–14. "Let's finish this!"

* * *

**BGM: Round Zero – Brave Blade by Nanase Aikawa**

"Ikuzo!" I shouted as the rest of us dashed forward. Jaishin–14 was dissatisfied about our advance.

_**"Do not think I will let you have it your way!"**_ Jaishin–14 declared before it started to spread the darkness around it and created Wights and DarkRoaches at the same time, charging towards us.

"Oh, we're gonna have it our way alright!" I shouted. "And we'll make _sure_ we do!" I then attached the Rouze Absorber on my arm and roused the two cards needed.

**ABSORB QUEEN**

**EVOLUTION KING**

"Don't think you're the only one that can do that, big bro!" Garren said before he and Leangle attached their Rouze Absorber onto their arms and did the same thing.

**ABSORB QUEEN**

"We're all in this together, so we fight as one, dear…" Leangle said before both of them roused in their King cards.

**EVOLUTION KING**

"And I ain't gonna stop before we've reached the climax!" Chalice said before he roused in his Evolution King card.

**EVOLUTION**

"You two, hold onto me!" Lance told the two as they did what he commanded before he roused his card.

**PROTOTYPE**

With that, all of the cards floated above us while still running towards them as it continued to circle around us. The ones that don't have any Sacred Relics pushed the other monsters away from our sight, creating a path for us to run before all of us, including Glaive and Larc, have reached our King Form, Wild Form and Prototype Form. And of course, all Missing Aces share the same characteristics from Lance's Prototype Form… with a difference this time, the power inside it being shared by the other two, in order to not let him becoming berserk again.

"You guys go ahead! We'll deal with these creeps!" Ross told us before he started to shove the Wights aside.

"Kurogasa, please assure the royal's safety! I'm counting on you!" Seth shouted at me.

"You have my word!" I assured him before turning back to Jaishin–14. "Okay then, let's see how you like _this_!" I said as five cards came out of my armor and I slotted them in the Rouzer.

**SPADE TWO**

**THREE**

**FOUR**

**FIVE**

**SIX**

**STRAIGHT FLUSH**

The Blay Rouzer appeared in my hand, now dual wielding and I jumped towards Jaishin–14's face.

Jaishin 14 tried to swipe me off with his specter with its hands, but it missed, all due to Larc taking me up to the sky with her moth wings on her back. "Geez, don't you have anything else to do rather than charge head first?!" Larc scolded before L'Arachel, Saleh, and Knoll shot out the sacred attacks onto its body, distracting it. "Remember, you ain't alone! And I ain't gonna let you steal the show!" she reminded and teased me.

"Heh… fine, you can join in…" I scoffed good–naturedly.

"Good! Let's take you to a higher spot!" Larc said as she fluttered higher. "…man, you're heavy! What did you eat?!"

"It's not _my_ fault you made a lot of delicious bento lunches." I said.

Silence looked for a while and I think I made her blush or something under her mask. How did I know? "U–Urusei yo!" she was mad at me… I rest my case.

As Jaishin–14 swung his large sword onto the mages, Lance and Glaive immediately parried the blow and thanks to the Trial's power boost, they were able to stop it on track without much difficulty before both of them grabbed onto its sword, making it unable to yank it out from their hands, _**"Let go of my sword, you fools!"**_

"Not gonna happen!" Lance told it as both of them keep their grip firm before Eirika, Ephraim, Joshua and Chalice ran on the flat side of the sword continuing to run upwards and make their way towards it as while inflicting some wounds along the way.

Realizing they won't let go anytime soon, it decided to shake them off. They held on so that they don't fall down from the height. "Don't worry! Help is on the way!" Tana shouted before she motioned her Pegasus towards the four as Chalice was annoyed.

"Well make it snappy!" Chalice snapped.

"I'm trying!" Tana retaliated before she stabbed her Vidofnir onto its arm, causing it to scream in pain before she got the twins on her Pegasus. As it was about to swing its free arm onto Tana, an arrow and a blast coming from the ground pushed it away. It was Innes and Garren the one that shot their shots from their respective weapons.

"Don't even _hurt_ her!" Innes shouted before he pulled another arrow and aimed at its hand again to distract it.

"Hurry up, big sis!" Garren shouted before he unleashed another few shots on it before Tana brought both of the twins to safety.

"Hey, what about _me_?!" Joshua complained.

"You're coming with _me_. We're heading towards the core… are you up for it?" Chalice challenged as Joshua couldn't help but smile.

"A challenge, huh? Let's do this!" Joshua agreed before he held his Sacred Twin and Chalice held his Wild Slashers on each hand as he rested his Arrow on his back. Both men ran upwards, heading towards the core.

_**"****You insolent peons!"**_ Jaishin–14 yelled trying to shake off Chalice and Joshua.

"Sorry, but I'm _already_ used to this kind of shake…" Chalice told it.

"I came from a rough place, so, this is nothin'!" Joshua smirked before the two continued towards their target.

"Are you sure it would be okay?" Leangle asked concerned.

"Have no fear, Sister. As long as its tail is on the ground, it won't be able to move a lot…" Duessel informed her as she decided to go with the plan. He noticed its tail was whipping at their direction and Duessel decided to parry the blow and grab it while he can. "Hurry, freeze it now!" Duessel urged while he held onto its tail tightly as it struggled to get him off.

"Right!" Leangle said as he placed three cards in the King Rouzer.

**CLUB FOUR**

**CLUB SIX**

**CLUB EIGHT**

**BLIZZARD VENOM**

With three of her refined holograms entered in her armor, she immediately stabbed its tail, making Jaishin–14 wail in pain as it slowly spread the venomous chill up on its spine and Duessel immediately chopped its tail off, making it scream in terror. _**"You fools! You think this is over?!"**_ Jaishin–14 yelled, but L'Arachel has something else in mind.

"It's _already_ over… with _this_!" L'Arachel said as she raised her Sacred Stone high and Jaishin–14 screamed in pain.

_**"Gaa… grrr… Abominable Sacred Stone… I will not suffer imprisonment again. How? You possess only one… Do not fool yourselves. You cannot fully imprison me… I will grind that wretched rock and your accursed bones to powder!"**_ it shouted before Chalice and Joshua reached its core and slashed it a few times, _**"Get… OFF!"**_ it shouted before it swings its free arm onto both of them before the two landed perfectly on the ground, courtesy of the assistance of Glaive and Lance.

"Are you okay, you two?" Glaive asked both men.

"We're fine." Chalice answered.

"Never better." Joshua added.

Meanwhile, the Sacred Stone of Rausten rose up from L'Arachel, and Jaishin–14 continued to scream in pain from the radiant light. _**"NOOOOOOOOOOOO! I won't be bound by that abominable stone!"**_ Jaishin–14 yelled, but it was too late as the Jaishin–14's soul flew out of its body and into the stone.

"Yes, we did it! The Demon King's soul has been bound once more!" L'Arachel cheered, but got serious again. "But, listen everyone, it's not over yet. The Demon King's soul rages against its prison. We must return it to its proper place– and quickly. But first, we must defeat the Demon King's soulless body!"

"That _thing_?" Garren asked.

"Uh–huh… The _real_ battle's just beginning." L'Arachel nodded. "Our ancestors paid _dearly_ for their victory. A mountain of corpses… It's written the Demon King was surrounded by the dead before he finally fell."

"For the sake of the past Riders… let's finish what they've started…" Leangle said assured.

Garren approached Chalice. "Big bro, I think you need these cards." Garren said as he handed it to Chalice.

"What do you want me to do with them?" Chalice asked.

"Go 'straight'." Garren answered told her, Chalice somehow understood what he tried to say…

As Jaishin–14 continued to scream in pain, Glaive and Lance decided for it to make a forceful landing by grabbing its tail and smash it to the ground before they took a step back. Realizing Jaishin–14 has been weakened, Tana flew her Pegasus near me and Larc before Ephraim and Eirika came up to me.

"The fiend has been weakened…" Ephraim told me.

"Is it that time?" Eirika asked me.

"Just say the word and we'll finish it off once and for all!" Larc perked up and I knew that time was up… for him!

"EVERYONE! IT'S CLIMAX TIME!" I shouted.

* * *

**BGM Change: Elements by Rider Chips feat. Ricky**

"I thought you'd never ask…" Chalice muttered before he held his five cards on his hands. "Ready for the big finish?"

"I was _born_ ready…" Joshua answered as he got into his stance.

"It's time to close this battle once and for all…" Leangle said as she held her five cards.

"Be prepared for the big finish…" Duessel told himself as Saleh, L'Arachel and Knoll combined their attacks while Garren held his five cards on his hand. Innes slowly pulled his arrow and aimed at the core of Jaishin–14, standing behind the mages and Garren.

"Ready, Glaive?" Lance asked as he held his Mighty card on his hand.

"Ikuze, Ikuze, Ikuze~~!" Glaive perked up as she held her card.

"Kurogasa, let's finish him off together!" Ephraim shouted as he and Eirika stood on Tana's Pegasus, wanting to leap together with me to finish it off.

"Just tell me when to drop you off on _this_ height…" Larc reminded me.

"Right!" With that five more cards came out of my armor and I slotted them in my King Rouzer.

**SPADE TEN**

**SPADE JACK**

**SPADE QUEEN**

**SPADE KING**

**SPADE ACE**

Meanwhile, Garren and Leangle slotted _their_ five cards in.

**DIAMOND/CLUB TEN**

**DIAMOND/CLUB JACK**

**DIAMOND/CLUB QUEEN**

**DIAMOND/CLUB KING**

**DIAMOND/CLUB ACE**

Chalice placed his Wild Slashers on his Arrow, took his five cards, and roused them.

**HEART TWO**

**DIAMOND THREE**

**DIAMOND FOUR**

**HEART FIVE**

**HEART SIX**

Multiple line of holograms appeared in front of us, leading to Jaishin–14, ready to annihilate him.

"NOW!" I shouted.

**ROYAL STRAIGHT FLUSH**

**STRAIGHT TEMPEST CRASH**

With my signal, all twenty cards that were being used earlier arranged in front of us as I started off with Tana, Ephraim, and Eirika diving down with me, as four of us entered within the holograms, diving down for the kill, and like a shooting star, we've broke through from its head all the way to the bottom and landed perfectly on the ground due to its flesh softening our blow, making it screech in pain. Innes shoot out his arrow onto the charged up attack from the combined force of the Trinity of Magic and at the same time, Garren shot out his Royal Straight Flush, as the shot combined with the arrow, making it one _very_ concentrated attack onto the core, forcing Joker to be removed from it, and continued to shriek in pain as the blast continued to push it against the wall. Leangle leaped high to the sky and stabbed her charged up Rouzer onto its head, spreading the venomous chill inside Jaishin–14 before leaping away, as Duessel and Joshua cuts away its arms before–

**MIGHTY**

**MIGHTY**

**MIGHTY**

Chalice leaped high and he, along with Missing Aces, dropped down for a kick called Straight Tempest Crash, shattering Jaishin–14 into million pieces, thus ending its life permanently and Joker Undead drops down to the ground, motionless as the four landed on the ground perfectly. L'Arachel saw the enemy before her, is gone and sealed up within her Sacred Stone.

**End BGM**

* * *

"I can't believe it… we've done it!" L'Arachel shouted happily.

"That's it. It's over, isn't it?" Eirika said in disbelief.

"Yes. Evil has been imprisoned, locked away!" L'Arachel exclaimed. "The legends of old have been mirrored in our actions today!"

"No, we've done _far_ more than the legends ever told." Innes said. "We've destroyed the Demon King's body. He can _never_ come back."

"And we've defeated the most powerful being of them all…" Saleh added. I stepped towards the motionless Joker Undead, dropping my Proper Blank and once it was sealed up, the card flew back into my hand and I looked at it with a smile, knowing that the harsh battle is finally over.

"Hey, buddy, check this out!" I heard Lance, who was running towards me and I noticed he held a black card in his hand. "It's Jaishin–14! Yes, with this card, my collection is complete!" he perked up.

"Don't you mean our collection?" I retorted.

"Oh… right…" Lance laughed sheepishly.

"This means we've accomplished our mission!" Vanessa said happy. "I must relay the good news to King Hayden at once."

"Yes. I'm sure Father will be _most_ pleased." Tana said cheerily. "Brother! This means peace will be restored, doesn't it? Shall I fly back to Frelia and let him know?"

"There's no need to rush." Innes answered. I'm sure he knows. After all, we were together, and that ensured our victory."

"Of course, Prince Innes…" Syrene said.

"Hmm… Looks like we're on the outside looking in, eh? Even so, the fighting's over. And that's something to be happy about." Father Moulder nodded.

"Exactly." Gilliam smiled gently.

"Well that took some doing, but we finally finished the job." Gerik said stretching his muscles out to loosen up.

"We _certainly_ earned _our_ pay…" Tethys sighed. "Please tell me we're going to enjoy it."

"Let's go home, Chief." Marisa said.

"Let's see now… Shall we head back to Jehanna? I guess we could stop in at the guild and get our next contract, eh?" Gerik said.

"But the queen's gone…" Tethys reminded him. "I wonder what Jehanna will do now."

"I'm sure it'll all work out." Gerik assured her.

"…Hm… Heads." Joshua said, just finished flipping a coin. Looks like I should be getting back as well."

"It's over, isn't it?" Natasha asked. The demon that drove Grado to madness is dead and gone."

"I–I can't believe that I was part of this whole thing…" Amelia said in disbelief.

"The war is over. But so much remains to be done." Cormag reminded them.

"Yes. Our country lost this war. The road ahead will be long and hard." Glen added.

"That's true. And yet… It's a road we _must_ travel." Duessel said. "That's the burden survivors must shoulder."

"Yes. And we must fulfill the dreams of Emperor Vigarde and Prince Lyon." Knoll added.

L'Arachel approached her trusty units with an assured smile on her face. "Dozla, Rennac. We've done it!"

"Gwah ha, ha! And a job well done it was, Princess L'Arachel." Dolza said jovially.

"Whew… It's finally over!" Rennac sighed in relief. "So it's about time for me to–"

"Hold it!" L'Arachel said stopping him from running away by tugging his collar. "I gave you no orders to leave! I am the Princess of Rausten, lest you forget. I have many missions yet to fulfill." she said delightfully before she rode on her horse. "Come, Dozla, Rennac. It's time to go!"

"Whoa, hold it right there, Princess…" Kurai said approaching her with Melissa–sempai next to him. "At least, we better leave together. Besides, we gotta enjoy this moment…" he causally smiled.

"He's right. It's no fun if you leave now…" Melissa–sempai told her.

"Hm… I guess you're right, gentle Sister! We'll wait until we depart together!" L'Arachel decided.

While Saleh and Myrrh looked at the group, they listened to them silently. "The darkness… It's gone." Myrrh said.

"Yes. That's the end." Saleh told her.

"I guess so…" Myrrh added before Saleh turned around.

"Let's return home, Lady Myrrh. Our friends and family will be worrying about us…" Saleh told her before the two departed, much to Ewan's dismay.

"What?" Ewan said surprised from his teacher's actions. "Hey, Teacher! Where are you going?! Wait up! I'm coming with you!" he said approaching to them… until Mikoto intervened.

"Mikoto?" Myrrh said in confusion.

"Wait! Not yet!" Mikoto told them.

"And what would be the reason? We have finished our mission…" Saleh told her.

"Because something tells me that something else is gonna happen!" Mikoto said, leaving the three confused.

Meanwhile, father and son were having a friendly chat with each other after they have accomplished their mission. "You did well, Ross. You're a _true_ warrior, my pride and joy." Garcia told his son as he patted his shoulder.

"But you're still the best, Father! That's right! My father's the best warrior in _all_ Magvel!" Ross told his dad as Akira approached the two of them.

"No, _both_ of you are the best… if it wasn't for both of you, maybe we wouldn't have reached this far…" Akira assured both of them before Ross wrapped his arm around Akira's shoulder.

"And if it wasn't for you, Akira, maybe all of this wouldn't happen in the first place!" Ross smiled, leaving Akira slightly embarrassed.

"Bah, I'm glad everyone's so happy, but… They'd better not forget that they won only with _our_ help. Right, Neimi?" Colm boasted as he noticed Neimi's expression change.

"We _all_ worked… together. Wasn't that great… Colm?" Neimi said before she started to cry again, much to his dismay.

"H–Hey… Don't start crying… Please?" Colm told her before he hugged her for her comfort.

"O glorious light, were you witness to our victory?" Artur prayed to the sky. "The foul demon has been purged from the earth!"

"The ancient Demon King _was_ as powerful as the scrolls described." Lute analyzed again. "And yet, in the end, we were able to defeat him! After all, there's _no_ one better than us." she boasted.

"Your continued safety is all that mattered, Princess Eirika." Seth said.

"General! Princess Eirika! We can finally return to Renais, can't we?" Franz asked enthusiastically.

"Yes, we can go home. All of us unharmed…" Eirika smiled.

"Ah, I'm exhausted." Forde sighed. "I'd like nothing more than to laze about a while… Alas, we're not going to have that opportunity, are we, Prince Ephraim?"

"No. The reconstruction of Renais is going to keep us busy." Ephraim said. "Keep your strength up. I'm going to need you in the days ahead."

"We'll be beside you through it all!" Kyle said.

"Well, that's it! We did it!" Amber cheered.

"We sure did!" Storm chirped.

At that point, Eirika walked towards me with a smile on her face. We looked at each other for a while, until she came close to me and kissed me, which I returned before she pulled back. "You did very well, Kurogasa."

"I could say the same thing for you." I smiled gently. "And that Eirika will get you a kiss from me." I said then leaned towards her to kiss her passionately, which she returned.

"Will you _look_ at those two? They're getting all mushy–mushy with each other…" Amber said while looking us.

"You would do the _same_ if I kissed _you_, right?" Storm teased, making Amber look away from his gaze.

"U–Urusei yo…" she said childishly low, having a slight blush on her face as Storm couldn't help but smile on her sudden change of attitude.

_"You have done well, fellow Riders…"_ A voice said somewhere as Ephraim noticed something at the altar seven orbs descend from the sky.

"What are those orbs?" Ephraim asked himself before it transformed into… wait a minute, our Rider forms?!

"Uh… this is new…" Akira said, a little bit freaked out.

_"And _that's_ just the beginning… may the Riders step forward?"_ Garren said. All seven of us were slightly confused before we decided to do so, all of us facing our respective forms. What came next was something we didn't expect. When they cancelled out their transformation, the ones that were standing right in front of us are… US?!

"_Surprise!"_ Past me causally smiled, much to my surprise.

"EHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH?!" All of us Riders said surprised.

_"I _told_ you they'll be surprised..."_ Past Storm said as Past Amber and Mikoto giggled.

_"I know, right?"_ Past Amber said which Past Mikoto nodded happily.

_"I assure you, you and I are not the same… we are from another world, years ago…"_ Past Melissa–sempai told us.

_"It seems like you _all_ have accepted our summoning…"_ Past Kurai informed.

"Okay… what's going on here?" Kurai asked confused.

"Wait, were _you_ the ones that called for help during the convention?" I asked.

_"If it wasn't us who called you out… who _does_?"_ Past me said.

_"Besides, we _knew_ you'll be able to complete what we _couldn't_ do in the first place…"_ Past Akira stated.

_"That's why we called out the ones that we knew best… ourselves from _another_ world…"_ Past Kurai added.

"Freeeeeaky…" Mikoto got out.

_"I know~…"_ Past Mikoto replied back.

"Um… I was wondering, is there is a way for us to return back home?" Melissa –sempai asked.

_"Of _course_ there is a way…"_ Past Melissa–sempai replied. _"And also… since you've defeated the Demon King, you can visit this world anytime you want…"_

"REALLY?!" I asked surprised.

_"Of course…"_ Past me answered as I looked at Eirika and she was happy about too. How can't _I_?!

"What should we _do_?" Storm asked.

_"Just return back our jewels from where you got them, from our respective tombs. By now there should be a stone slab behind our tombs where you can put the gems in. Put them there and a portal would open up… that's all you need to do…" _Past Storm told us before their bodies started glowing and turned into sparkles. Multiple numbers of blank cards flew up to the sky and every single one of us gained a Vanity card that read…

"Portal…" I got out.

_"Thank you for defeating the enemy…. and may peace reign in this world…"_ That was the last time we heard the voice before everything went silent…

"Uh… buddy? Are you okay? You looked kinda… happy for a reason…" Storm got out while looking at me confused.

"Storm, don't you get it? Now I won't have to worry about not going back home and staying here permanently for Eirika's sake!"

"Oh… well, at least I'm glad for ya!" Storm said with his usual airhead attitude.

Eirika then ran towards me and hugged me tightly. "Isn't this great, Kurogasa? Now, we don't have to worry about leaving one another anymore!" Eirika said happily.

"Yeah! I know!" I said as tears flowed out of my eyes while smiling. I then held Eirika's cheek. "And I'll _never_ leave you Eirika… I want to spend the rest of my life with you."

"Kurogasa…" Eirika smiled as tears also flowed out of her eyes. "I wanted to be with you for the rest of my life too!" she declared before both of us hugged tightly.

"Say, are you happy for them, Ephraim?" Tana asked Ephraim.

"How _can't_ I? After everything we've been through, I can't help but smile, that's what…" Ephraim told her before Melissa–sempai approached us.

"Kurogasa, dear. I think we should leave now. Our mission has been complete and we can finally go back home…" Melissa–sempai smiled.

"Yeah…" I said as I wiped off my tears. "Let's _all_ go home."

* * *

So with that, we traveled back to Rausten, dropping off L'Arachel and her group. "It is time for me to be on my way, my friends. As the Princess of Rausten, I still have many duties to perform. Oh, Princess Eirika… If it pleases you, I would be ever so delighted if you joined my tea club. I insist that you come. Oh, say you will, won't you?" L'Arachel insisted. Seriously, a club in this world? Who would've thought it?

"Of course, L'Arachel. I'll be delighted to join." Eirika replied before L'Arachel handed her something. "L'Arachel, what _is_ this?"

"This ruby has been in Rausten for generations. It is a valuable gem. I would be honored if… I would like for you to have it." L'Arachel offered, much to Eirika's surprise.

"What? No, I couldn't! It's far too precious to accept…" Eirika tried to deny, but knowing L'Arachel, she can be quite stubborn.

"Hey, just accept it, Eirika. She's been really helpful throughout the journey…" I told her. Eventually, Eirika nodded and accepted it happily.

L'Arachel then looked at Kurai with her big smile. "Well, it has been fun, Kurai. I'm glad we've fought alongside for the common cause!"

"Yeah… me too… you take care of yourself, alright? I don't want you ending up getting lost again…"

*STOMP!*

"Iteeeeeeeee!" Kurai cried out, hopping around in pain as L'Arachel felt satisfied after she stomped his toe instead of Melissa–sempai.

"I'll be sure to miss _that_!" L'Arachel said making us all laugh.

"Gwah ha, ha! You kids take care of yourself!" Dolza said happily, knowing that one day, we'll be meeting again with a different purpose and with the Portal card in hand, but Rennac handed the Vanity card to me.

"I don't need this card at all… you can give it to someone else… besides, I have a lot of things to take care of at my place…" Rennac informed as I took the card and placed it into my deck holder.

* * *

Next, we traveled back to Jehanna where we dropped Joshua, Gerik, and his crew along with Natasha who decided to stay with him. "Oh, Melissa, I'll be sure to miss you!" Natasha said as the two sisters hugged tightly, Natasha having tears flowing out of her eyes due to their very tight friendship the two shared as Melissa–sempai comforted her.

"Do not worry, dear. With the card we received, I'm sure we'll be able to meet each other again and when everything has calmed down, please be sure to visit us so I can take you around and show you what my world looks like." Melissa–sempai offered, which Natasha agreed in a heartbeat. I'm sure Joshua and Natasha will become a fine king and queen one day.

"Well, until we meet again… c'mon, Natasha, we got a country to rebuild…" Joshua said to her as Natasha nodded and went to his side.

"C'mon, you two, let's get the next contract for our services and I bet there will be many more who would happily offer it to us because of our victory over the Demon King!" Gerik said proudly.

"Yes, Chief…" Marisa nodded.

"As you say~." Tethys added.

* * *

Our next stop, was Caer Pelyn, dropping off Saleh and his group. Grandmother was delighted to see Myrrh and us back. "Ah, my grandchild… how is the journey?" Grandmother asked him.

"It has been completed." Saleh told her.

"Yes, and with the Rider's assistance, we were able to defeat them…" Myrrh told her as Grandmother looked at us happily.

"It seems the legend holds _true_ after all… I would like to thank you for fulfilling your duty and protecting my grandson…" Grandmother thanked.

"It's no problem." I said. "But Grandmother you never told us that the Past Riders were… well, us!"

"Oh, really?" Grandmother said surprised. "I never knew of it at all…"

"Grandmother, I want to thank you for the ring you have gave me…" Melissa–sempai thanked.

"It's no trouble, my grandchild. And I would like for you to keep it…" she told her before Melissa–sempai hugged her gently and when the two broke off the hug, I gave Melissa–sempai the extra card that Rennac gave to me and she gave it to Grandmother, much to her surprise. "What is _this_, dear?"

"This… is something that I would like to give to you." Sempai began. "If you have free time, I would like to spend my time with you so that we can talk a lot with each other and I might bring you somewhere that I want you to visit." she offered, which Grandmother smiled at.

"I would be honored, my dear Melissa." Grandmother nodded.

"And Lady Myrrh has decided to stay here in Caer Pelyn. It is a choice that she made and I'm sure she'll be happy to stay here…" Saleh told us.

* * *

The next stop was Grado where most of the war took place. We were dropping off Duessel and his group. "Legendary Riders and everyone else, we would like to thank you for the opportunity to fight alongside with you all…" Duessel smiled.

"And have no fear, once we have restored the Sacred Twins back to where it should be, we shall continue to rebuild Grado back to its glory…" Knoll added.

"It would take some time to do so, but I'm sure it would be worth it…" Glen said.

"Yes, thank you once again… and I hope for you all the best of luck…" Cormag finished.

"I'm sure you guys will." Ephraim told both of them…

"Wait, what about _you_ Amelia?" I asked.

"Ah, do not worry, Kurogasa, I'll be staying with Franz." Amelia informed me.

"Oh…" I got out.

"And do not worry; I'll be sure to bring her mother to her when everything has settled down…" Duessel informed us as Amelia nodded happily about it.

* * *

Our second to last stop, Frelia where we dropped off Tana and Innes, along with the rest of the Frelians. And as usual…

"OOFT!" yep, Tana does her usual tackle on me, much to her brother's dismay and Eirika's surprise.

"Ooooooh! I'm gonna miss you!" Tana said as she clung to me rather tightly.

"Yeah, I know…" I coughed out. "But don't worry, those Portal cards will let me see you again."

"I know that!" she said happily before she stood up and looked at Eirika. "And be sure to take good care of him, Eirika!"

"I sure will, Tana." Eirika replied as both of them hugged happily.

"Come now, Princess Tana, we should inform King Hayden…" Syrene told her.

"Yes, there are much more things to be taken care of…" Gilliam added.

"And rebuild our country back to its fullest…" Innes informed, which they nodded in agreement. I noticed Forde approaching Vanessa as he was speaking with her about something.

"So, Vanessa. Have you gave your thought about it?" he asked her, to which the latter blushed at.

"Um… Forde. As much as I love you, and you love me, I place my duty first…" Vanessa told him, which Forde couldn't help but smile.

"Once I've finished rebuilding Renais back to its former glory, be sure to anticipate my arrival as I will be staying in Frelia for your sake." Forde causally smiled as Vanessa nodded slightly while Syrene witnessed the whole scene.

* * *

At last, we finally arrived at Renais, and boy did we get ourselves a hero's welcome.

"Welcome back, our king!"

"Peace has finally claimed back to this country!" And the cheer for Ephraim continued on as the people were happy to see him again. Ephraim couldn't help but smile on while waving happily on his horse to them.

When we have reached the front gate of Castle Renais, Colm and Neimi approached us. "T–Thank you for g–giving us the opportunity t–to fight alongside of you all…" Neimi began.

"You're welcome…" Kurai replied back before Colm approached me.

"Here… you've dropped this…" Colm said to me before he threw my bag of gold back to me. I can tell his habit of sneakily taking gold hasn't gone yet. "I'm gonna stop following my adventurous ways and wanted to settle down with Neimi here…" he added.

"Good for you." I told him.

"Colm…" Neimi got out.

"Yeah, and besides, with all the gold I got from the enemies in the first place, I'm sure we'll build a new life together…" Colm told me and for the first time, I've seen him smiling sincerely tone, with no strings attached as Neimi hugged him tightly and cried on him. When I looked afar, I noticed that Mikoto, Akira, Garcia and Ross were talking too.

"I guess this is where we part ways now…" Garcia told them.

"Yeah, it was nice to fight alongside you all!" Mikoto chirped.

"And you better take care of her, alright?" Ross told Akira, making both Akira and Mikoto to have a faint blush.

"Y–Yeah, I will." Akira replied.

* * *

As we parted ways with Colm and Neimi, followed by Forde and Kyle as they wanted to look around the area for a bit, Seth, Eirika, Ephraim and the rest of us Riders returned back to the Legendary Rider's resting and looked at it. We noticed that now there was a stone slab behind the now crumbled seven tombs and there were seven holes that was likely the holes we're supposed to put the gems in.

"Well, remember what he said to us?" Storm asked me.

"Yep. We gotta return the gems to its proper place." I said. The rest of the Riders nodded as we went to our stone slab and placed our gems to its proper places. After that, the stone slab glowed and eventually, a portal opened up in front of us.

"Kurogasa, hold on…" I heard Ephraim calling to me as he and Eirika walked towards me and… handed her hand to me? "I would like you to take care of my sister in the new world for me…"

"Ephraim…" Eirika and I got out.

"Yes, with everything that has happened I'm sure he'll be able to take care of the situation around here." Seth said.

"And besides, I'm sure you'll be able to provide her happiness and once everything has been settled down here, I'll be sure to visit you. So, take care of her for me while I'm busy constructing back Renais to its former glory, my brother–in–law." he told me as he placed his free hand onto my shoulder with a smile.

I looked at him for a while, until I smiled and said, "I will…" I smiled. "Brother–in–law…"

With a brotherly hug between us two, all of us Riders and Eirika held hand–to–hand as Ephraim and Seth looked at us as we are standing right in front of the portal. "Well, are you ready, Eirika?" I asked her.

"Yes… let's go… together…" she told me.

"Right…" I said then looked at the rest of the Riders. "Alright then, Riders! Issho ni kaerou (Let's go home together)!

"Yeah!" They all agreed before stepped forward towards the portal and returned back to where we came from… home.

* * *

After what seemed to be a _very_ long trip together, we ended up piling in front of the door that we once entered as everyone returned back to our cosplay costume and some of us still retained our Magvel costume, especially Eirika, Mikoto, and Melissa–sempai. Me, Storm and Kurai were at the very bottom, followed by Akira, Amber and Mikoto on top of us and finally Eirika and Melissa–sempai on top of the other three. "Ugh… why do we have to end up landing like this?" Kurai complained as Storm quickly crawled out and noticed his Kabuto Extender and also…

"Hey, my Kabuto costume is back!" he said before he hugs on his ride. "Oh! How I've missed you, buddy!"

"Hey, we're still in the convention… as if nothing changed…" Amber got out as I noticed she's in her Magiranger costume instead of Larc costume that he bought it for her.

As everyone stood up, we looked around and noticed that the convention hall was empty. Eirika felt something and when she took it out from her pocket from her skirt, she held a purse and as she looked in it, she looked her citizenship card in it. "Eirika Renais?" she got out and for the first time… I've heard her speaking our mother language _and_ she can read kanji very well. "Kurogasa, what _is_ this?" Eirika asked me since she wasn't familiar with things around here.

"Well, this is it, our world and your new home." I said.

"Freeze! Hands in the air!"

We immediately raised our hands up and an officer came up to us with a gun pointed at us. When he got closer, he noticed me, Amber, and Storm and then lowered his gun. "Say, aren't you three kids the ones that have been missing a few days back?" Huh? A few days? If I remember correctly, we've been missing for eight months in Magvel… The officer looked at the four to. "And _you_ four! Do you have any idea how worried they were once they heard you were all missing?!" The officer scolded.

"Sorry… but we have a good explanation for that…" Melissa–sempai said apologetically.

"Well, no matter… at least we've informed your parents that you kids were staying at one place together…" the officer said. "And for some reason, I don't know why, I kept receiving this dream of mine that's been telling me to help _you_ kids out… so you better be glad that I'm helping you kids out!"

Huh, weird…

"Well, what are you still standing _around_ here for?! Get _out_ of here!" the officer screamed at us, and that was our cue to scramble out of the place along with our rides. When I turned around to look at the door that was once a portal that led us to Magvel, it was now nothing more than a props room. As soon as we got ourselves out, it was already night time and we noticed a car was waiting for someone. There was a little kid in his Leangle costume with blonde short hair and blue eyes as he was running towards Melissa–sempai. "Danny!" Melissa–sempai cried out as the two hugged tightly.

"Big sis!" Danny said before sempai looked at the driver of the car.

"Well, it looks like you kids were having a blast…" the woman said.

"Mother…" Sempai got out.

"Do any of you kids want to take a lift so I can send you back home?" she offered as Kurai, Akira and Mikoto took the offer.

"Oh, don't worry about us four. We got our rides…" Amber told her, which Sempai's mother understood.

"Hey, Melissa…" Kurai spoke as Akira and Mikoto entered the car.

"Yes, Kurai?"

"…I want to propose to you…" He got out, making Melissa–sempai blush.

"R–Really?"

"Yeah, we need to discuss with our parents about this though…" Kurai told her before she hugged him tightly and the two entered the car. After that, the car zoomed out from our view, leaving us four standing right in front of the convention entrance.

"…wow… did you guys hear what my cousin just said?" Amber got out.

"Yeah, he's gonna propose…" I said. Which reminds me. "Eirika?" I asked looking at her.

"Yes, Kurogasa?" Eirika asked looking at me.

"Remember what you said, back at Jehanna? You said that when the war is over, you'll give me your answer on whether or not you'll marry me." I reminded her.

She was taken aback and looked down with a heavy blush on her face. "K–Kurogasa… you should… already know the answer… to that…"

"She's accepting it?!" Amber said surprise as Eirika shyly nodded before Amber hugged her tightly. "I'm so happy for you, Eirika!"

"Amber…" Eirika got out as her blush was still there and Storm approached me with a smile on his face.

"Well, you better make it official, buddy. I've done mine with Amber during one of our stops while we're heading towards Darkling Woods." he told me.

"Really? I didn't see you propose to Amber." I said looking at him in disbelief.

"We did it secretly under a tree…" Storm smiled as Amber broke off her hug from Eirika and showed her engagement ring to me.

"Yeah, we got our own ways of doing so…" Amber told me before she walk behind me and pushed me right in front of Eirika. "Just propose to her already, you idiot!"

"Alright, alright, sheesh…" I said. "Wait a minute, I don't have a ring."

"Al~ready taken care of!" Amber said as she pulled out a small black box and handed it to me. "I've bought it during our time at Rausten and you better pay me back because it was a _really_ expensive one!"

"Amber…" I got out. She may teased me a lot, but she also cares for our relationship, hence the reason why she always helps me out… with strings attached and in _this_ case, it would be paying her back the money that she used to buy the ring… with interest… "Thanks." I smiled then took the black box. I opened it up to see that it was a very nice engagement ring which was silver band and had a very nice diamond on top. I then turned towards Eirika and showed the engagement ring to her, which Eirika gasped at before I knelt down on one knee. "Eirika Renais… will you marry me?" I proposed.

"Oh, Kurogasa. I do!" Eirika cried out before she hugged me tightly, and I hugged her back as Storm and Amber were witnessing the whole thing happening in front of them. After I placed the engagement ring onto her ring finger, both of us kissed passionately as tears of happiness ran down her face.

"Oh, that's right!" Amber got out as we broke our kiss together and looked at her. "Since she has no place to stay, I guess she'll be staying with me for now… and starting tomorrow, you and I are going to shop for your new clothes to make Kurogasa's jaw drop to the ground, Eirika!"

"Amber… thank you…" Eirika said before she hugged her again and Amber returned the hug. When both of them broke off, Eirika looked at me. "You don't mind at all, right, Kurogasa?"

"Sure, I don't mind." I smiled.

"So, in the meantime, you two better go out to dinner somewhere!" Amber got out.

"What about _you_ two?" I asked them as Storm started his Kabuto Extender.

"I'm gonna send her home and have a discussion with her parents about our engagement." Storm told me before he wore his Kabuto helmet on and Amber rode behind him while wearing her helmet, wrapping her arms around his waist.

"And be sure you bring her back safely at _my_ home, you got that?" Amber warned me as Storm revved up his ride.

"I will, don't worry." I told her.

And with that, both of them went off somewhere, heading back to her home, leaving me and Eirika all alone. "Well, I think we should go have our dinner together since I think the money just quadrupled from the adventure _we_ had…" I told her before Eirika looked around.

"I guess so, but… where are the horses?" Eirika asked me. I could only chuckle in amusement at this.

"Eirika, you have a lot to learn about this world." I smiled.

* * *

**2 Years Later…**

_"C'mon Amber. Hurry up, we're gonna be late for the wedding. We, the Best Man and Maid of Honor, can't be late."_

_"Will you just wait Storm? I'm almost done."_

_"You said that, two hours ago!"_

_"Geez, you sure complain a lot as her husband for three months!" Mikoto replied as she was helping her make up._

_"Aw man… this is gonna take a while…" Akira got out, sighing._

_"This is marriage life, Akira–kun… but either way, I'm happy for my friend to get married today…" Storm said happily while looking at the window._

_"I couldn't agree with you more, kiddo…" Kurai told him while carrying a year old child in his arms._

_"Hey, where's Sempai?" Storm asked._

_"Probably at where the bride should be…"_

* * *

_As the maids helped Eirika getting prepared for her wedding, Eirika looked at herself in the mirror and she couldn't help it but feel nervous about the fact that she's going to be married to the person she loves most. "Are you feeling nervous, dear?" A voice asked. When Eirika looked behind her, it was Melissa as she slowly approached her._

_"Mother…" Eirika got out as Melissa sat in front of her. During the past two years, Melissa has helped her out regarding the love issues and also comforted her when Eirika had doubts, when Melissa got married, Melissa wouldn't mind at all if Eirika called her mother._

_"It's_ alright_ to be nervous… even _I_ felt nervous when I was walking up the aisle…" Melissa assured her. "You have grown mature and beautiful, Eirika." she complimented her with a_ smile.

_"Mother…" she got out slightly blushing before Melissa hugged her gently._

_"I'll be here for you until you calm down…" Melissa said before Eirika rested her head on Melissa's chest._

_"Thank you for everything… mother…"_

* * *

"Hey, buddy! Sorry I'm late!" Storm told me as he was able to get here on time. "Amber's taking her time with her make up…" he added with a sweat drop.

"No worries…" I waved it off. "Still, I'm getting cold feet here…" I said being nervous.

"Hey, it's okay. Even _I_ had cold feet three months ago. But I'm glad that when you become my Best Man, I feel like my nervousness was gone just like that. So, I'm just returning the favor for my friend!" he smiled as he helped me out fixing the knots of my mantle. "And man, you sure look like a prince to me. I still don't get it why you wanted to do this in Magvel, but if it's the choice my buddy would like to make, then I'll be happy for him!"

He was right. On my head, I had a golden crown which was decorated with a red gem that resembled a spade. On the upper part of my body, I wore an indigo medieval high class shirt with long sleeves that covered my arm and fluffy shoulder pads. My buttons had a golden spade theme to it. On the lower part of my body, I wore indigo pants with silver boots and knee pads and around my waist, it was a custom made belt with the head of it resembling a spade and like any medieval theme, my Blay Rouzer rested at the side on my waist. To complete it all off, I wore my mantle with my Change Ace insignia printed at the back. "Yeah, and I have to thank L'Arachel for this. She personally sewed this herself, not to mention that she has good tastes." I added.

"Yeah, I didn't know she can sew it _very_ well… it must have been expensive for her to get _all_ of these things…"

"I don't want to know how much money she paid to get the materials…" I groaned.

"Me too…" Storm agreed with me before I noticed Melissa–sempai went to her seat and gave the organ musician the cue to proceed with the wedding. And with that, he played the song as everyone that has joined with us on our quest was all here to witness this moment. Slowly, the door behind them opened and revealed Ephraim escorting his twin sister in her bride dress… and I gotta say, if this is one of those normal days, my jaw would've dropped to the ground…

Eirika's hair flowed out beautifully and had a crown of white flowers over her head and a see through veil covering her head. She had golden neck jewelry around her neck and on the upper part of her body, the shoulders of her dress were white, frilly, and cupped outwards, and it connected to her white arm warmers that ended on her wrists. For the bottom half of her dress, it was white and frilly with a long red ribbon draped around her dress, with gold linings decorating it. Honestly, I was star struck and my heart was beating really fast. As they finished walking down the aisle, Eirika and Ephraim hugged each other before Eirika stood next to me and Ephraim sat at the very front. The wedding of course, was being led by Father Moulder, suggested by Eirika, which he didn't mind at all. In fact, he was more than happy to conduct the ceremony. "You look beautiful…" I whispered to Eirika, which she blushed at.

"And you look… handsome…" Eirika whispered back.

"Dearly beloved," Father Moulder began. "We've gathered here today to join two people in the bond of Holy Matrimony. Marriage is truly sacred, one that celebrates the joining of two souls into one. It is a bond not to be entered into selfishly and prideful, but meekly and humbly by both parties; so they form a near perfect union of two hearts. If there is any reason that these two should _not_ be married, speak now or forever hold your peace." Pfft. Like anyone's gonna say anything. There was total silence within the church. No one that wanted to object this wedding, after a moment longer, Father Moulder continued on with the wedding. "Eirika, would you take Kurogasa to be your lawful beloved husband?"

"I do…" she replied.

"And Kurogasa, will you take Eirika as your wife?" Father Moulder asked me.

"With all of my heart and soul." I replied back.

"Do you two have the rings?" He asked. We nodded as we looked towards Amelia and Ewan who were the ring bearers. I took Eirika's weeding ring from Ewan and Eirika took my wedding ring from Amelia. "You may know say your vows." Eirika and I looked at the each other again.

"I, Kurogasa, take you, Eirika, to be my wife. To have and to hold from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish; from this day forward until death do us part. With this ring, I wed thee." I said and then placed Eirika's ring on her finger. Now it was _her_ turn.

"I, Eirika, take you, Kurogasa, to be my husband. To have and to hold from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish; from this day forward until death do us part. With this ring, I wed thee." Eirika said then placed my wedding ring on my finger.

"Let these rings be given and received as a token of your affection, sincerity, and fidelity to one another." Father Moulder declared. "In as much as they have consented together in wedlock and have witnessed the same before this company, and pledged their vows to each other, by the authority vested in me by the Kingdom of Renais, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may now kiss the bride!"

At that point, I flipped Eirika's veil over and we embraced each other lovingly and kissed passionately. After a while, everyone was on their feet and clapped their hand happily for this wedding we had and even some of them were crying, especially Dolza for this happy reunion. One thing I _do_ know from this day forward… I have a purpose in life… and with my friends to help me out in any way possible and someone that I can cherish the most… I no longer have to bear it alone.

* * *

*Sniff!* That was just beautiful! I love ending like this! Now normally, I'd like to consider this the ending, but we got one more chapter to go! And it's the Epilogue! So stay tuned! You don't want to miss this!

**Spade:** A, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, J, Q, K  
**Diamond:** A, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, J, Q, K  
**Heart:** A, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, J, Q, K  
**Club:** A, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, J, Q, K  
**Trial:** A, B, C, D, E, F, G  
**Joker:** Albino, **Dark**  
**Other: Jaishin–14**


	25. Epilogue: The Eternal Trump

This is it people! We've reached the end of the story! Without further ado, here it is! The last and final chapter of Kamen Rider Blade: The Sacred Stones!

Disclaimer: Same thing.

* * *

Epilogue: The Eternal Trump

Somewhere, on an isolated island, far away from civilization and the city, a wounded man with brown hair, wearing a black shirt with red long sleeve jacket, dark blue pants and black boots, stood tall while gripping his arm tightly as he was panting heavily from the battle he had with the opponent in front of him. His opponent, had black hair, and all black attire of shirt, trench coat, pants, and shoes as he was lying on the ground, bruised badly as the man in red jacket approached him and held the injured man in his arms. "Why, Nero? Why did you detest of my plans of turning everyone into kaijin, just like us? All I ever wanted was to turn them into us monsters and be accepted by the society… and yet… we've been thrown to the side like trash… why? Why do you still insist on helping those humans…?"

"Because it's wrong and you know it!" Nero got out. "I don't _care_ if the humans hate me just because I'm a kaijin! I'll continue to help and fight for them! I'll protect them and earn their trust, and I'll do it for as long as I can until I'm accepted into society!" Hearing the words coming out from Nero made the man realize his mistakes as Nero's tears started to form from his eyes. "That's the reason… I have to fight you… for _their_ sake… Kai…"

"Nero…" Kai got out before he noticed the snow falling from the sky as Kai went back to memory lane. "The snow… is really pure… just like your heart, Nero… unlike mine… which is tattered by darkness…"

"Kai… I'm sorry…" Nero apologized.

"Don't worry… that's what makes you special, Nero…" Kai coughed out. "Promise me… that you… will… keep… helping… the… hu… mans…" he got out before he went lifeless.

"Kai…" Nero breathed before he gently put his head down on the ground. "Rest in peace, fellow kaijin…" he muttered under his breath before looking away from the corpse and as he looked behind him, a group of kaijin, looking at him displeased.

"No, our leader… killed?!"

"That's Nero! He's the traitor amongst us kaijin!"

"How _dare_ he kill him!" Another yelled in rage. More and more of the kaijin muttered amongst themselves and then all of them decided to attack him at once while he was still injured.

Nero turned around to face the Kaijin charging at him. "Kai, I promise you I will do all I can to protect the humans…" Nero said holding up his Henshin gauntlet. "And I will do so even if it means giving up my life; Henshin!"

"AND CUT!"

* * *

With the shout from the director, everyone around the area was clapping their hands for a job well done. I can tell even the _director_ was happy about it. "Well done, you two! That was superb! As expected from movie stars," The director said delightfully as I helped Storm get back to his feet.

"Hey, that was nice acting, buddy! Never thought that you could make such tears like that… even _I_ can't do like you do best!" Storm complimented.

"Hey, you were good too." I complimented back.

"Heh, my acting skills in becoming a bad guy is _always_ good, _you_ know that!" Storm replied before the director approached both of us with a smile.

"Well, it's official. Kamen Rider Nero has reached its ending and with this movie, it would attract _more_ of the fans out there. I salute to both of you, Kamen Rider alumni!" the director said happily before he remembered something. "Oh, and I apologize that I had to call you during your Christmas Eve. I know you guys are planning something with your family and such and uh… well, you get the idea…"

"Hey it's no problem." I assured him, waving it off. "Don't worry about it."

"Yeah, at least we had _our_ share of fun for this series…" Storm added.

The director then handed both of us an envelope. "Well, here's your last payment of the day for the series. I hope that someday, we can work together again on our humble show, knowing that _you_ two might be busy with your life and other movie offers…" The director said before he bowed at us, which we replied back with a bow of our own.

"We'd be honored." I smiled.

"Yeah, besides, both of us were very happy to be a part of Kamen Rider productions! It's _always_ been our dream!" Storm perked before both took our leave… but not before we hugged the rest of the cast that helped us out the entire year, for the story we began, knowing the next generation of riders would take over from here.

"Oh, and Mr. Kururugi! Congratulations on your newborn son!" One of the cast members wearing a kaijin costume shouted at me.

"Thanks Kenji!" I thanked.

"No problem!" Kenji replied with a thumbs–up before we parted ways.

* * *

"Wow, five years already. Time sure went fast didn't it, buddy." Storm said as drove his car while I sat next to him.

"Yeah, and I never thought I'd actually wait that long before Eirika and I decided to have a kid." I chuckled.

"Yeah, you two sure took your time. After some thought you two put in, you finally decide to have a kid and I already have two kids of my _own_. Both of them being cute little princesses, of course…" Storm chuckled back. "What took _both_ of you so long to get one?" He teased.

"Oh, let's not even _go_ there." I said. "Ever since that incident back in Magvel seven years back, Amber teased me to no end."

Storm slightly laughed at that. "Yeah, I know… she told me everything after our marriage. And I think… her teasing habit is rubbing off on me…" He said, much to my dismay. "Man, if only I knew snow was falling down today. I should've worn something thick! I mean, the only thing I have right now is this handmade scarf that I got from her!" Storm complained which made me sweat drop.

"And even after seven years, your airhead attitude hasn't left ya." I sighed, shaking my head smiling.

"That's what makes us buddies…" Storm laughed before we ended up reaching towards a shopping mall.

* * *

Both of us were searching for what kind of gift we would want to give to our wives and not to mention the kids that will be visiting us like always every year. One of the kids that were walking along with his mother spotted me. "Mommy, look! It's Nero and Kai!"

"Nero and Kai?!" Another kid cried out. Eventually some of the Kamen Rider fans swarmed us like bees.

"Uh… I think we're in trouble, buddy…" Storm said, pointing out the obvious. "Fan service?" He blurted out randomly.

"We better make this quick." I chuckled.

"I guess so…" Storm said and with that, we had our out–of–the–blue autograph session with our incoming kids and fans alike. It _does_ take a while signing autographs and _some_ even wanted to take a picture with us and before we knew it, two hours already passed by. My phone rang and my ringtone was based on my Kamen Rider Nero opening theme song, which was quite catchy. I put the phone up to my ear and said, "Hello?"

[_"HEY! WHERE THE HECK _ARE_ YOU TWO?!"_] A voice screeched making me recoil back from the phone and massage my ear by putting a finger in it. Yep without a doubt, that was Amber scolding at _me_ instead of her husband. [_"What's _taking_ both of you so long?!"_]

[_"Amber, _please_ don't scold him like that… they must've been busy with work…"_] A gentle voice said; which I knew was my wife, Eirika. [_"Anata, where are you?"_] She asked.

"Sorry, we're being held up by fans." I answered. "Don't worry, we'll be home soon."

[_"_That's_ good to hear…"_] Eirika sighed in relief.

[_"And you _better_ hurry up, because I've prepared a special costume that both of us are going to wear for today!"_] Amber said, making Eirika stutter for some reason.

[_"A–Amber, I thought we've talked about wearing 'that'!"_]

[_"Oh, come on! It's a one–time chance! I wanna see him drop his jaw to the ground with your beauty!"_]Amber told her before she hung up.

"Okay… what's she planning to do now?" I asked myself.

"Hey buddy, something came up?" Storm asked.

"Amber and Eirika got something planned for us." I answered.

"Really… Well I'll be… knowing Amber, what Eirika wears would _always_ end up making your jaw drop and Amber tends to wear the same thing too…" Storm pointed out with a sweat drop. "Oh yeah, your wife made the front cover again…" He remembered showing me one of the magazines. It showed Eirika sitting in a ladylike manner, wearing her red dress and white long skirt with a beautiful smile that caught the attention of many people around them. "And boy, many of these guys are _really_ into getting this magazine alone and some of the girls are following her _trend_ right about now…" Storm added.

"Well, they should know by now that she's taken by yours truly." I said.

"And with my wife handling her fans out there, I can tell she's really famous in Japan right now…" Storm said.

"Rather than talk about it, let's get this shopping done already before heading back home." I told him, which he nodded.

"So do you have something in mind to buy for Eirika?" Storm asked.

"Hmmm…" I said looking around until I noticed something in the jewelry shop that caught my interest. "I think I know what I'm gonna get her." I smiled.

* * *

After buying and wrapping up the presents for them, we've reached back home and when we say home, I meant both Storm and mine, as we are living under the same roof in a rather large Japanese Manor. Don't get me wrong, it's not like I can't afford it or anything, it's one of Amber's recommendation so that she could take care of Eirika easier this way. Those two are already like sisters, but she tends to tease her from time to time, in a good way. When we approached the door, the door opened up and we saw Akira with a two year old shy girl in his arms. "Welcome home big bros!" Akira said happily as his daughter looked at me before burying her face on her father's shoulder. "Sorry about that, big bro! Elsie is just shy to others…" He sweat dropped.

"It's okay." I waved it off. "Glad to see you Akira. Where's Mikoto at?" I asked.

"I'm glad you called out my name!" Mikoto shouted before she appeared right in front the hallway and become the host of today's show. "And now, it's the moment that you two have been waiting for! I present to you Amber–neesan and Eirika's Christmas Theme of the Day!" Mikoto presented as Amber walked out while pulling Eirika close to her.

"C'mon! I wanna see his reaction from what we're wearing today!" Amber said.

"B–But!"

"No buts, nee–san!" Amber said as she finally managed to pull Eirika out from her hiding and boy, weren't I expecting _this_! Both of them were wearing a red sparkling dress with a white fluffy top part, their shoulders fully exposed that left a slight view of their uh… assets, wearing red long arm warmers, a short red skirt, long red socks, with red high heels, a Christmas hat and finally both of them wore an Elf ears on their ears.

"Amber… this skirt is too short!" Eirika said embarrassed as her face flushed red trying her best to pull down her skirt to cover it, but if she pulled too hard her assets might pop out.

"Well, what do you think?" Amber asked me with a big smile.

"Um… that's… wow…" I got out stunned. I'm _definitely_ trying not to have a nosebleed here.

"A–Anata, please stop staring at me like that!" Eirika stuttered as her blush won't be disappearing for a while along with mine…

"Wow, Merry Christmas _indeed_, Amber!" Storm got out.

"Daddy!"

"Tou–san!"

Those were voices of two little girls running towards Storm and the latter playfully feel down as his two girls tackled him to the ground. One of them was a four year–old, named Kizuna with a split image of Amber. She wore a red blouse, blue skirt, and black shoes and the other one was two year–old named Sasha, who had short squiggly hair, wearing a pure white dress, a small ribbon on her hair, and white squeaky shoes as they hugged him happily.

"Daddy, did you buy me a gift?!" Kizuna asked her dad being all hyper–active.

"Tou–san… do you have mine?" Sasha said rather politely, but also a little shy.

"Don't worry, you two! I got yours!" Storm assured both of his girls before he carried both of them in his arms. Amber approached him and gave him a peck on the lips before leading the two to the living room.

"C'mon, c'mon, let's help out Kurai with the preparations!" Mikoto said as she took Elsie off from Akira's hands and both of them walk towards the place too, leaving both Eirika and I alone at the doorway.

"Honestly, Amber sure knows when to have her fun…" Eirika sighed in relief while she continued trying to pull down her skirt.

"That's how she is." I said. "C'mon, get changed first and we'll have dinner. I don't want to nosebleed on the food."

"Ah! R–Right, I'll go get changed!" Eirika stuttered before she immediately went towards her room, still flushing red.

As I walked into the house and getting to the main hall, I noticed Kurai carrying a dish in his hands. He wore a black shirt and brown pants, with black socks. He was carrying the food until he noticed me. "Oh? You're home?" Kurai asked, raising his eyebrow.

"Yeah, I just got back. And boy did we get a show. Did Melissa–sempai even approve of the dress?" I asked.

"She _does_ detest it, but knowing my cousin, she went along with it…" Kurai sighed. Over the years, Melissa–sempai's toe crushing really helped him be a better man and, he does seems to be nicer.

"Oh, you're home, dear?" I heard Melissa–sempai's voice from afar as she wore the same white dress she wore during our time in Magvel. The only difference was that she has a little package in her for six months, while carrying a tray of food. "How was your day?" She asked me, smiling the same smile that I can't forget.

"It was alright, sempai. Storm and I finished the last scene for Kamen Rider Nero: The Movie, and then got Amber, Eirika, and the kids their presents." I answered. I then took a sniff of the food and smiled. "And you're cooking is good as always, sempai."

"Ah, thank you, dear." Melissa–sempai smiled before her son who had short blonde hair, wearing a black shirt with a red heart motive at the middle, blue pants, and white socks came in. "Ah, Toby, do you mind taking this tray to the table?"

"Of course, mom," Toby obliged before he picked it out from her hands and brought it away.

"My, my… with an unborn child in me, it sure makes me feel tired…" Melissa–sempai commented as she wiped a little bit of sweat on her forehead.

"Well, you can go ahead and rest, sempai." I offered. "I'll take care of the food."

"Oh, don't worry, dear. I can still help when I still can…" Melissa–sempai denied politely.

"C'mon… take a rest already. There's still plenty of it to do so…" Kurai said concerned for her. Sempai thought about this, before she nodded and decided to take a break.

"Amber, please wait!" I heard Eirika as she was being dragged by Amber. Eirika was in her red kimono with some flower patterns on it, wrapped with a purple cloth around her waist and I gotta say: she _always_ looked beautiful in whatever she wore it. Meanwhile Amber continued to pull her to a spot.

"Now, stay here!" Amber told Eirika before she shifted her attention to me. "And you! Come over here for a minute!" She called out.

"Oh geez Amber, what do you want _now_?" I complained going over to Amber and Eirika. "Can't you give it a rest for one day?"

"Sure, after you do this!" Amber said which Eirika and I confused.

"Oh my…" Melissa–sempai got out as Eirika and I looked at _her_, confused.

"What's wrong, Sempai?" I asked her.

"You two should look up…" Kurai said. When both of us looked up, we noticed the mistletoe… and Mikoto helped out by dangling it above us.

"I should've known…" I sighed shaking my head smiling.

"So c'mon, kiss already or I'll continue to tease you both for the rest of the day!" Amber said as Eirika looked at me with a smile.

"W–Well… shall we, anata?" Eirika asked shyly.

"Yes we shall. But first, let's make it _more_ special. I got a present for you Eirika." I said giving her a small black box. When she opened it, she gasped at what she saw. It was a golden ring that featured a diamond shaped heart with two gems, one on each side. One was a ruby, and the other an emerald. On the outside of the golden band there was a small engraving in cursive that read: Merry Christmas, my love… And on the interior it read: My love is yours forever more…

"Oh Kurogasa, it's beautiful." Eirika said as I put the ring on her finger.

"I'm glad you like it." I smiled.

"You know, I have something for you too." Eirika said as she got a small rectangular box. I took it and when I opened it, I saw a gold pocket watch in the shape of a spade with the Evolution Caucasus on it. She must've had it custom made. When I opened the watch, I saw a picture of me and Eirika on the left side of the watch with the clock on the right.

"Wow, I love it Eirika. Thank you." I smiled.

"You're welcome."

"And _now _we can kiss." I added. Then Eirika and I kissed passionately under the mistletoe.

"Aw~, isn't that sweet!" Amber said before–

*CLICK!*

"I call it Kodak moment!" Amber said happily before she looked at the picture and was satisfied. "And it looks good too!"

"Thanks, now can we all eat?" I asked.

"We gotta wait for the others to come by first and besides, it's still early for dinner!" Amber said before we heard the door open.

"Oh, that must be them…" Melissa–sempai said delightfully before Ephraim and Tana came in, being the first one to enter our home.

"Tana!" Eirika said happily.

"Eirika!" Tana replied back before the two hugged tightly as Ephraim looked at me with a smile.

"So, what's my brother–in–law been up to lately?" Ephraim asked.

"Well, we're about have some dinner and you two are just in time."

"Mind if we join in?" A voice asked. Now it was Innes and L'Arachel to come in, along with Joshua, Natasha, heck the whole _group_ that journeyed with us seven years back is here along with some kids too!

"Lissa~~!" Most of the kids squealed running towards her direction and Melissa–sempai couldn't help but feel happy, seeing the happy faces of the children.

"My, my… you kids sure are happy." Melissa–sempai complimented them before Natasha walks towards her and gave her a hug.

"It's been a while, my dearest friend!" Natasha exclaimed.

"It _has_ been quite some time, Natasha." Melissa–sempai replied before she noticed an elderly figure walking in from the door. "Grandmother, you're here!"

"Of course I am here, my grandchild. How can I miss this special day?" Grandmother asked before the two hugged warmly.

"Alrighty, c'mon you guys! We can all call back about our good times with this buffet style menu of the day!" Kurai announced as we all enjoyed a wonderful dinner. No _wonder_ there were a lot of dishes in the first place…

* * *

Everyone was enjoying the dinner together as all of us recalled some good memories of the past. Eirika also brought along our child as Tana and the rest of the girls couldn't help but feel happy for her as we got ourselves a healthy child in our family. Eirika didn't mind at all to let them hold our kid. That was laughter from the whole place as they kept exchanging conversations with each other. Even up to this day, Innes challenged Ephraim to an archery duel in our large front yard that was prepared, just in case. Colm stayed true to his words as he never took something shiny around the house and had a good laugh with Duessel, Glen and Cormag. Natasha, Grandmother, and Melissa–sempai escorted the kids after dinner for a storytelling in another room. While sempai was telling the story–

"Oh!" Melissa–sempai said surprised.

"What's wrong, grandchild?" Grandmother asked.

"The baby kicked…" Melissa–sempai smiled as the kids rushed towards her, wanting to feel the kick from her unborn child.

"That's wonderful!" Natasha said happily.

"As always, I really miss this world's cooking! You should _definitely_ be working for us, Kurogasa!" L'Arachel said happily.

"Sorry, but I already got a job here in this world as an actor." I smiled.

"Ah, I see…" L'Arachel said a bit disappointed before she perked up again. "…but what else can I say? As long as I have this card I can enjoy the meal here anytime I want!"

"Gwah ha ha! you're right, Queen L'Arachel! The sky's the limit!" Dolza said happily.

"Alright kids, who's ready to open some presents?!" I announced.

When they heard the call, they _really_ ran towards the presents and it was chaotic, until Melissa–sempai came by and the kids obeyed her words of getting their presents in order. As kids opened up their presents, more smiles appeared on their faces as all of them thanked me and Storm for the gifts. "For a legendary warrior, you sure have a heart of gold, lad!" Joshua smiled.

"Hey, I'm a spade, remember?" I joked.

"Ah, of course you are! Lady Luck is always on your side, huh?" Joshua said before Ephraim wrapped his arm around my shoulder.

"That and he's my brother–in–law, King Joshua." Ephraim told him.

"That's right." I smiled.

* * *

After exchanging gifts and having a jolly good time, everyone went and said their goodbyes. "We'll be visiting again on New Year, so be expecting our arrival!" Tana warned me before she went to the door as Ephraim roused it at the edge of the door.

**PORTAL**

"Take care of yourself and my sister, brother–in–law." Ephraim told me as he held a sleeping child in his arms.

"I will." I answered.

And with that, both of them entered into the door before closing it. Everyone returned back to their places with happy smiles on their faces. I felt a pat on my back, courtesy of Amber. "Hey, why don't you take the night off tonight? Let me, my cousin, Akira–kun, and Mikoto–chan take care of this mess. Besides, Sempai is resting up right now and my husband is already sleeping right now…" Amber suggested.

"What about _you_? Don't you have work tomorrow?" I asked.

"Are you kidding me?! When nee–san works, that's when I work too! And besides, I've already planned out for next month's meeting and modeling already!" Amber assured me.

"Oh… ok…" I got out. With that being said, I think I should do what she suggested.

* * *

When I approached my room, I saw Eirika sitting peacefully on the bed while looking at outside the window while the snow fell beautifully. I approached to her from behind and wrapped my arms around her waist, surprising her a bit. "Oh, it's you, Anata." Eirika got out.

"Is there something on your mind?" I asked Eirika. She slightly shook her head.

"No… I was just remembering how my brother and I met Lyon for the first time…" Eirika told me.

* * *

**Flashback**

_Inside the royal garden, a young prince was walking back and forth panicking. That was until Lyon met Ephraim and Eirika. "Oh, are you…" Lyon got out._

_"You must be Prince Lyon, son of Emperor Vigarde?" Ephraim asked which the latter nodded at._

_"Who?" Eirika asked nicely._

_"I'm… My name is Lyon."_

_"Lyon?" Eirika asked curiously._

_"Uh–huh, that's me… I'm the son of the Emperor. You're Prince Ephraim and Princess Eirika from Renais, aren't you?"_

_"Yes, we are." Ephraim nodded._

_"It's nice to meet you, Lyon!" Eirika smiled._

_"It's nice to meet you too." Lyon said. "I heard you were coming, and I've been waiting here all day. I've always wanted… I don't have any friends my own age… So, Prince Ephraim… Princess Eirika… What do you say? From now on, let's be friends…"_

_"Of_ course_ we will!" Eirika replied happily._

_"I'm sure we'll be best of friends, Lyon." Ephraim said firmly, making Lyon happy._

_"Oh, thank you very much, both of you!"_

**End Flashback**

* * *

"I can still remember how kind he really was back then… if it wasn't for the Dark Stone he possessed, the war wouldn't have happened in the first place… and if it wasn't for the war…" She said stopping, while having her hand hold onto mine around her waist and replied back, "…I wouldn't have met the person that I love most…"

"And I wouldn't have met the person _I_ love most if the Past me didn't yank me to your world." I chuckled as I started kissing her neck and sucking on it a little bit.

"Oh Kurogasa, please don't…" Eirika slightly giggled, trying to resist me.

"C'mon, you know you want to…" I teased.

"Not in front of Lyon…" Eirika said.

"So? He won't see. He'll be sleeping. Besides, he'll be too young to remember it right now."

Eirika turned to face me. "If and when he gets older and walks in on us, I'm blaming it all on you." Eirika teased.

"Fine, fine I'll take responsibility." I playfully waved it off. "Now can we, please?"

"Alright." Eirika sighed shaking her head smiling. As both of us were about to kiss, we heard the baby cry nearby as both of us paused. Eirika slowly got up and approached the child inside the baby's bed and held the baby in her arms, checking on him. "Lyon just woke up… he's fully fed… and his diaper is still clean…" Eirika said getting worried a little bit.

"Maybe Lyon's having a nightmare…" I told her.

"I see…" Eirika understood before she began to sing a lullaby song she learnt from Melissa–sempai.

**U~ta wo uta~ou**  
(Let's sing a song)  
**Da~ichi~ no u~ta wo**  
(The song of the Earth)  
**Ka~ze wo ida~kou**  
(Hold the wind in your arms)  
**Hi~kari a~bite**  
(Bask in the light)

**Ho~shi wa mata~ taki**  
(The stars are twinkling)  
**Mo~chi wa kira~meku**  
(Shining down upon the streets)  
**Fu~wa fu~wa fu~ruri~**  
(Light and bouncy)  
**Ne~gai ko~mete…**  
(Be full of hope…)

When she finished her first part, little Lyon stopped crying and Eirika continued to sing the song.

**U~ta wo uta~ou**  
(Let's sing a song)  
**Se~kai~ no u~ta wo**  
(Let the song of the world)  
**Do~ko ma~de i~kou**  
(Travel forever)  
**So~ra wo ao~ide**  
(Looking up at the sky)

**Hi~to no ubu~goe**  
(The sound of people talking)  
**Mu~shi no haba~taki**  
(Insects jumping)  
**Fu~wa fu~wa fu~ruri**  
(Light and bouncy)  
**O~moi no~sete…**  
(Taking my hopes with it…)

When the baby yawned and closed his eyes, Eirika walked back to his cradle and continued to sing.

**Fu~wa fu~wa fu~ruri**  
(Light and bouncy)  
**A~shita~ wa ki~tto**  
(Tomorrow will definitely)  
**Fu~wa fu~wa fu~ruri~~**  
(Light and bouncy)

She took a pause as she put little Lyon back into his cradle and placed the blanket on him.

**So~ra** **ni** **to~doku**  
(Reach the sky)

Eirika leaned forward and gave Lyon a goodnight kiss on his forehead before she looked at her child. She then sat next to me and looked at me with a smile. "Melissa–sempai's singing really does work like a charm…" Eirika complimented.

"It sure does…" I smiled.

Eirika smiled as she placed her hand on my cheek. "Now… where were we?"

"I was about to kiss you, for sure…" I said with a cheeky smile before both of us kissed passionately and laid on the bed. Thinking of all the things I've been through, throughout the journey, there are a lot of things you can find along the way. An adventure, friendship, and of course, love. I've set my fate which leads to a brighter future with my wife and child that completed my whole life. If there's one thing I would like to say, it would be this.

No matter what, I will _always_ be the Eternal Trump Card of Hope:

Kamen Rider Blade

**FIN**

* * *

**Fenikkusumaru:** WOOO! Now that was the best story I've ever written as of yet! Of course, I couldn't have done it without The Wild Fang. Two months ago, Wild Fang and I have started this great story that became the very first Kamen Rider x Fire Emblem crossover of FanFiction! And we're proud to end it too! I thank everyone who has read and reviewed this story even though there aren't many reviewers, but at least there were followers. And I especially thank the Wild Fang for his continuing support of this story! Who knows maybe we'll start another Kamen Rider x Fire Emblem crossover. So stay tuned! And as always, review!

**The Wild Fang:** First of all, I would like to say we've finally reached the ending of this story. It was one heck of an adventure and both of us really enjoyed it. Sure, there are times where we come to a disagreement, but we overcame that and made it the BEST story that we've ever done. For those who are faithful from Prologue to the very end… I thank you for reading this story.

**Spade: **A, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, J, Q, K  
**Diamond: **A, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, J, Q, K**  
Heart: **A, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, J, Q, K**  
Club: **A, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, J, Q, K  
**Trial: **A, B, C, D, E, F, G  
**Joker: **Albino, Dark  
**Other: **Jaishin–14


End file.
